Sidney, British Columbia - The Government of Canada is a world leader in the fight against Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing. This illegal activity is a major contributor to declining fish stocks and marine ecosystem destruction around the globe, and it undermines the livelihoods of legitimate fish harvesters everywhere, including here in Canada. IUU fishing poses a significant risk to salmon populations in the North Pacific Ocean and is considered to be a potential driver of Pacific salmon declines.
That is why Canadian fishery officers are leading their first mission in the Indo-Pacific, a region Canada has committed to protect through the Indo-Pacific Strategy. Officers will conduct patrols, including high seas boardings and inspection operations, to ensure compliance with regulations and to detect illegal and unreported catch. Officers will also collect scientific data to inform our understanding of the high seas environment, including the migration range of species of interest, like Pacific salmon.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has contracted Atlantic Towing to provide a vessel for this operation, which will be underway until this fall. This joint patrol will contribute to a multi-national effort known as Operation North Pacific Guard, involving officers from DFO's Conservation and Protection program, along with personnel from the Canadian Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard.
Funding from the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI) is supporting this mission to enhance conservation, protection and enforcement efforts in high-risk areas for Canada's Pacific salmon stocks. As part of the PSSI, DFO is committing more than $46 million over the next five years to combat IUU fishing in the North Pacific, including this deployment of a high-seas patrol vessel in the region.
Canada will continue to play an important role in the fight against marine ecosystem destruction and declining fish stocks caused by IUU fishing, like Pacific salmon.
