Canada Launches Mission to Detect, Deter IUU Fishing in North Pacific
The Canadian government has announced a new Canada-led multinational high seas mission to detect and deter illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the North Pacific Ocean.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced the mission Oct. 1 at the Port of Yokohama, Japan.
IUU fishing in the North Pacific is considered a potential driver of Pacific salmon declines, according to DFO officials.
Operation North Pacific Guard (OpNPG), led by DFO fisheries officers, is supported by the Canadian Coast Guard and includes high seas patrols, air surveillance and satellite monitoring. The mission is also supported by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The mission calls for fishery officers to patrol over 7,500 kilometers (4,660 miles) aboard Canada’s CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier, a high endurance, multi-purpose vessel that’s also a light icebreaker with biofuel capability.
The vessel supports a wide range of programs and services in the Pacific and Western Arctic.
The crew plans to conduct high seas boardings and inspection operations under international law to ensure compliance with regulations and to detect IUU fishing.
Also planned is the collection environmental data and water samples to support Canada’s understanding of the high seas environment, including migration range of species of interest, such as Pacific salmon and levels of microplastics in water.
Canada recently conducted aerial surveillance out of Hokkaido, Japan, where daily patrols built on efforts of a 2023 mission to monitor the Northwest Pacific Ocean.
This year marks the first port visit of a Canadian Coast Guard vessel to Japan and first use of an eco-friendlier blend of biodiesel and renewable diesel with conventional diesel fuel, part of the government’s commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
OpNPG is supported with funds from the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, whose mandate is to enhance conservation protection and enforcement in high-risk areas for Canada’s Pacific salmon stocks.
