COLUMN: Ian Marshall: Conserving and protecting YOUR resource

I’ve said it in the past, but it bears repeating – illegal fishing hurts everyone. Unfortunately, it happens anyway.

That’s why there are seven Conservation and Protection detachments located around southwestern Nova Scotia – to protect what belongs to all Canadians. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) takes this responsibility very seriously, and I know that folks in this part of the province support our efforts to make sure that everyone plays by the rules.

It’s the only way to ensure we all get to fish today and into the future.

Our fishery officers here in southwestern Nova Scotia sometimes take hits for their efforts, but our men and women in green believe it’s all worth it; they believe in what they do.

One example of the important work they do in southwestern Nova Scotia is illustrated in the following example.

This area has the distinction of being home to the first charge in Canada for producing and fishing with a fake lobster licence. On Wednesday, Jan. 16 a Shelburne County fish harvester was charged under the Criminal Code of Canada and the Atlantic Fisheries Regulations for fraud, fishing with a licence without being named on the licence and fishing without a personal fish harvester’s registration. The accused had produced a fake lobster licence and leased it to an unsuspecting fish harvester for a designated amount and 20 per cent of the buyer’s total worth of his catch.

Fishery officers were eventually tipped off and seized the licence, the computers and printer of the accused. The accused later pled guilty and was sentenced to pay $17,000 in fines for offences committed during the 2006/07 area 33 lobster fishery.

I’d like nothing better than to tell you that this sort of non-compliance never happens, and that it was just an occasional lapse in judgement, but I can’t. Illegal landings do happen because some fish harvesters think the incentives to do so outweigh the risks.

Because of this, our fishery officers have their eyes peeled on behalf of law-abiding, conservation-minded southwest Nova Scotians, and they’re happy to do it. Of course, they can't be everywhere, so I encourage anyone witnessing anything ‘fishy’ to call their local DFO office.

(Ian Marshall is the DFO Area Director for Southwest Nova Scotia.If you have questions about this column or would you like to read about other DFO issues that affect you and your community in future columns send an email to CommEnquire@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca or call (902) 426-3550.)