SURVEILLANCE NEEDED
P.E.I. Shellfish Association wants more patrol boats on the water to protect their industry
P.E.I. Shellfish Association president says she would like to see more fishery officers on Island bays and rivers.
The president of the P.E.I. Shellfish Association says she would like to see more fishery officers on Island bays and rivers.
Brenda Campbell said she has been hearing from association members who suspect illegal fishing activity.
“If you see a boat out in the water, tonging and not using an oyster box but putting (oysters) into a bag, what would that tell you?” she asked.
“That would tell me that there’s stuff going in there that shouldn’t be going into a bag.”
Campbell said there is speculation some fishermen are taking undersized oysters and either putting them on leases or finding a way to sell them as cocktail oysters.
Campbell does not know how much of what she is hearing is suspicion and how much is true, but she’s convinced the concerns would be lessened if wardens were out on the water checking oyster dories and their oyster boxes from time to time.
“There are wardens on the shore … but our main concern is, they’re not on the water,” she added.
Fisheries and Oceans provided a written comment when asked for a response to Campbell’s concerns.
“Officers are working to prevent illegal activity in all fisheries, including in the oyster industry. We encourage anyone with concerns about illegal activity to contact a DFO office as soon as possible,” it said.
“Officer patrols are planned based on information available and on the assessment of risk.”
Campbell said, “Protection is more than catching a violator. Protection is putting mechanisms in place so that there’s less chance of such a thing happening.”