On November 16, 2022, the British Columbia (B.C.) Provincial Court found Da Zhou, Zhao Chen, and Ngai Chau guilty of significant violations under the Fisheries Act, including the obstruction of justice and violations of recreational fishing regulations involving rockfish and lingcod. The Honourable Justice Mrozinski delivered her sentence by prohibiting the three men from fishing for a year. She also ordered them to pay a total of $17,500 in combined fines and instructed that all of the defendants’ associated gear involved in the violations, including rods, reels, and lures, at an estimated value of $1,000, be forfeited to the Crown.
Oceans are vital to the livelihoods of communities across Canada, and we face unprecedented challenges and opportunities in our marine environment. One way the Government of Canada can promote innovation and growth in Canada’s oceans economy, or blue economy, is to examine regulatory practices.
The Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI) launched by the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard on June 8, 2021, is the largest, most transformative investment Canada has made in salmon. This $647-million investment aims to stem the devastating historic declines in key Pacific salmon stocks. The Initiative has four key pillars:
Threats like climate change, habitat degradation, pollution, land and water use, acute events like toxic spills and landslides, and fishing pressures have left many Pacific salmon populations at historically low levels.
Vancouver, British Columbia – Fisheries and Oceans Canada will introduce a new program, funded under the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, to support conservation and sustainability.
On December 9, 2022, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) published the Government of Canada’s 2022 Guidance for Recognizing Marine Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECM).
Aquatic invasive species pose a serious threat to our environment, to species at risk across Canada, and to industries that rely on aquatic resources such as fisheries and aquaculture. This summer, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) collaborated with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on a pilot project to inspect and decontaminate boats at the international border crossing in Emerson, Manitoba, in order to verify if all watercraft entering Canada were free of Zebra Mussels and other aquatic invasive species.
The Minister of Natural Resources and Northern Development for Manitoba, the Honourable Greg Nesbitt and the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray will co-chair meetings of the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (CCFAM). Topics to be discussed include: sustainable aquaculture development, aquatic invasive species, and the future of fish, fish habitats, and fisheries in a changing climate. A media availability with the federal, provincial, and territorial ministers will conclude the CCFAM meetings.
The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, today issued the following statement on World Fisheries Day.
Today, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, closed the two-day Seal Summit, which brought together Indigenous partners, the commercial fishing industry, provincial and territorial representatives, and other stakeholders and experts.