Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canada Joins Global Pact To Stop Illegal Fishing Trade, Plans More Inspections

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 19 Jul, 2019 08:39 PM

    OTTAWA - Foreign vessels arriving in Canadian ports can expect more monitoring by officials hunting for contraband fish now that Canada is part of an international agreement to combat illegal fishing.

     

    As of Saturday, Canada will be part of the Port State Measures Agreement, which seeks to put a dent in the US$23-billion global industry in illegal fishing.

     

    Liberal MP Sean Casey, the parliamentary secretary for the minister of fisheries, says Canada signed on to the agreement when it was developed almost a decade ago but it took five years for the previous Conservative government to pass legislation to implement it, and another four years for the Liberals to get the needed regulations in place.

     

    Canada will be the 62nd party to sign on to the agreement, which Casey says mostly just seeks to strengthen things Canada is already doing.

     

    Globally it is estimated that 26 million tonnes of fish are illegally caught and unreported but Casey says there is no certainty about how much of that total comes into Canada.

     

    Once in force in Canada, the agreement will give Canadian officials more power to deny port entry to vessels carrying illegally caught fish, mainly through more monitoring at Canadian ports when vessels are registered and fish are offloaded.

     

    Casey says it will also formalize Canada's participation in information-sharing with other countries that are part of the agreement.

     

    "It gives our international partners more confidence that we have complied with what we said we were going to do," he said.

     

    Casey, a longtime MP from Prince Edward Island running for re-election in the fall, said illegal fishing isn't often raised with him by fishers here but it's on the agenda at every international fishing conference he has attended.

     

    In addition to formalizing this agreement, Canada recently launched three new satellites for maritime surveillance that will remotely identify and track boats suspected of carrying illegal fish.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Lines Drawn On Planned B.C. Park Reserve Where Many Species At Risk Live

    Lines Drawn On Planned B.C. Park Reserve Where Many Species At Risk Live
    A next step in preserving one of Canada's most ecologically diverse regions has been reached between two British Columbia First Nations and the federal and provincial governments.

    Lines Drawn On Planned B.C. Park Reserve Where Many Species At Risk Live

    Sentencing Hearing For Winnipeg Man Who Stabbed Woman, Dumped Her Body

    Sentencing Hearing For Winnipeg Man Who Stabbed Woman, Dumped Her Body
    WINNIPEG — The family of a woman who was stabbed numerous times and died in her killer's basement says she didn't deserve to be left in a shallow grave like garbage.

    Sentencing Hearing For Winnipeg Man Who Stabbed Woman, Dumped Her Body

    Anglos, Francophones Sign Deal To Work Together On Minority Language Rights

    OTTAWA — Quebec anglophones have banded together with francophones in New Brunswick and Ontario to protect and promote the rights of official minority language communities.

    Anglos, Francophones Sign Deal To Work Together On Minority Language Rights

    New Supreme Court Rulings On Sexual-history Evidence Delays Joshua Boyle Trial

    OTTAWA — The sexual-assault trial of former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle is dealing with more concerns about admitting evidence of the alleged victim's past sexual history.

    New Supreme Court Rulings On Sexual-history Evidence Delays Joshua Boyle Trial

    Global Boom In Natural Gas Is Undermining Climate Change Action: Report

    Global Boom In Natural Gas Is Undermining Climate Change Action: Report
    OTTAWA — The Global Energy Monitor says an international boom in liquefied natural gas exports is undermining global efforts to stop climate change and Canada is one of the industry's biggest players.

    Global Boom In Natural Gas Is Undermining Climate Change Action: Report

    Cannabis Use Jumped 40 Per Cent In Canada Between 2013 And 2017, UN Report Says

    The United Nations' latest world drug report shows more Canadians started using cannabis each year in the lead-up to the drug's legalization for recreational use.

    Cannabis Use Jumped 40 Per Cent In Canada Between 2013 And 2017, UN Report Says