A multi-agency, cross-border marine and fisheries sweep led to the discovery of 34 violations over the course of four, two-day sweeps in Canadian and U.S. waters off Vancouver Island this summer.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it contributed to a cross-border marine and fisheries sweep which resulting in over 336 vessels and 753 individuals being checked between May and August.

The multi-agency initiative with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the U.S. focused on “marine border intelligence, fisheries compliance, and conservation,” says the DFO.

Operation Sea Dog ran two-day sweeps each month during a four-month period between May and August, with high-visibility patrols in the Southern Gulf Islands, Juan de Fuca Strait, and the Strait of Georgia. 

Officers ran inspections on land, in vehicles, on various beaches, and offshore on boats, running recreational salmon fishing inspections, monitoring area-based fishing closures and also supported southern resident killer whale protection measures.

With a range of participating law agencies from both sides of the border, the DFO says it participated in all four Operation Sea Dog two-day sweeps, and during that time, fishery officers conducted a “combined total of 90 vessel-based inspections and 14 land-based vehicle and beach inspections.”

The DFO supported the operations with real-time intelligence sharing, and helped identify vessels of interest near the border with its aerial surveillance equipment, the Fisheries Aerial Surveillance and Enforcement (FASE) long-range Dash-8 aircraft.

As a result of these sweeps, officers identified 34 fishing violations, including “the use of barbed hooks, illegal shellfish harvesting, fishing without a licence, fishing during closed times, retaining undersized crabs, and the illegal retention of wild Chinook and Coho salmon.”

Participating U.S. and Canadian agencies included the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations—Bellingham Air and Marine Branch, Washington State Fish and Wildlife Police, Canada Border Services Agency, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and DFO’s Conservation and Protection.

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