Fraser Valley/White Rock/Boundary Bay – Over the week of February 7 to 11, 2022, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) fishery officers from the Langley, Chilliwack and Steveston detachments, and the Vancouver-based Whale Protection Unit, with the support of the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) colleagues from the Sea Island base, conducted an enforcement operation in the marine waters of Boundary Bay, near White Rock.
The operation utilized the CCG Hovercraft Moytel as a platform, coordinating with up to three DFO Conservation and Protection patrol vessels to combat ongoing illegal fishing.
The operation followed all COVID-19-related health and safety protocols.
- DFO fishery officers conduct dragging operations at various times in the year to retrieve illegally set gear, that are out of compliance for numerous reasons. These can include crab traps that have been set with no marked floats and actively fishing without proper escape mechanisms or rot cord as required by regulation. Traps that have been lost or abandoned (otherwise known as ghost gear) will also be retrieved.
- The traps are recycled where possible. If there is value, they are sold through a government auction.
- The operation spanned five days and 312 sets of illegally set crab traps were seized.
- The vast majority of gear was illegal and a small percentage was lost or abandoned (ghost gear).
- A large number of crab and other fish were returned to the water from emptied traps.
- This was a highly successful example of DFO enforcement initiatives that occur several times per year, with the support of the CCG.
- Fishery officers will attempt to identify seized traps and gear, and if any identifications are made, violations will be investigated.
- This is the second time that a hovercraft from the Sea Island base is being utilized for this kind of operation.
- While each agency operated within their mandates on the water, they shared operational knowledge to ensure the success of the sweep and gained a deeper understanding of each other’s roles and responsibilities.
- Since 2020, all harvesters are required to report their lost fishing gear to DFO. This is a condition of their fishing licence. Harvesters can report their lost fishing gear through the Fishing Gear Reporting System.
- The commercial crab fishery accounts for almost one third (approximately 31%) of the wholesale value of the province’s wild shellfish products.
- Harvesters who choose to ignore the rules give themselves an unfair advantage, undermine the effective management of the fishery, and threaten the sustainability of the resource.
- Excess harvesting threatens conservation. It also could result in management changes or closures, diminish the significant economic benefit from the fishery to coastal communities, recreational fisheries, commercial harvesters and tourism, and threaten a traditional food source for Indigenous people.
- Crab caught illegally can be laundered into the legitimate retail market. Only fish caught under a commercial licence, which permits the sale, or purchase of fish, may be purchased or sold. Any fish sold must be processed through a licensed plant to ensure quality and public safety. Fish that has not been inspected may be unsafe for consumption and pose significant health risks.
As part of DFO’s work to end illegal activity, the Department asks the public for information on any suspicious or potentially illegal activities, or any contravention of the Fisheries Act and Regulations. Anyone with information can call the toll-free violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336 or via email at DFO.ORR-ONS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
