Heavy Penatly Issued For Illegal Fishing.

On October 23, an individual pleaded guilty to unauthorized longline fishing in a high-protection zone of the St. Anns Bank Marine Protected Area (MPA), near eastern Cape Breton, NS. This is the first conviction of an offence under the Oceans Act in our Maritimes Region. The individual was fined $5,000, forfeited over $17,000 worth of groundfish catch, and their vessel will be monitored for the next 10 years no matter where they fish.

The high-protection zone in this MPA excludes all commercial fishing, including longline. This is to fully protect this biodiverse area that is home to many species including herring, sea sponges, Atlantic wolffish, and leatherback sea turtles.

To report suspicious fishing activity, contact your local fishery officers: https://ow.ly/h2bo50TZnRH

Source : DFO Release