Ottawa, ON - Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing poses a significant risk to global fish stocks in the North Pacific Ocean, and is considered to be a potential driver of Pacific salmon declines.
Today at the Port of Yokohama, Japan, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced the second Canadian-led high seas mission to detect and deter IUU fishing in the North Pacific. This is a region integral to Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, under which Canada is committed to upholding its international obligations.
The mission, known as Operation North Pacific Guard (Op.NPG), is a multi-national effort to coordinate fisheries enforcement to protect global fish stocks. Led by DFO fishery officers and supported by personnel from the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), Op.NPG includes high seas patrols, air surveillance, and satellite monitoring. Additional support is being provided by officers from the United States Coast Guard and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For two months, fishery officers will patrol over 7,500 kilometres while onboard Canada's CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier, a high endurance, multi-purpose vessel that is also a light icebreaker, is newly biofuel capable, and which supports a wide range of programs and services in the Pacific and Western Arctic. The expert crew will conduct high seas boardings and inspection operations under international law to ensure compliance with regulations and to detect IUU fishing. Fishery officers will also collect environmental data and water samples to support Canada's understanding of the high seas environment, including the migration range of species of interest, such as Pacific salmon, and the levels of microplastics in the water.
In addition to monitoring and enforcement by sea, Canada recently conducted aerial surveillance out of Hokkaido, Japan, where daily patrols built on the work of last year's mission to monitor the Northwest Pacific.
This year's Op.NPG mission also marks two firsts for the CCG: this is the first port visit of a CCG vessel to Japan, and the first use of an eco-friendlier blend of biodiesel and renewable diesel with conventional diesel fuel. This is just one of the ways that the CCG is reducing its environmental footprint while supporting the Government of Canada's commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Op.NPG is supported by funding from the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, which aims to enhance conservation, protection, and enforcement efforts in high-risk areas for Canada's Pacific salmon stocks.
