OTTAWA, ON, June 5, 2021 / CNW / – June 5 is International Day Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing poses a serious risk to our oceans and our global economy. It threatens the livelihoods of law-abiding fishermen and damages our marine ecosystems and the myriad life forms they support.

The magnitude of its threat cannot be ignored. IUU fishing accounts for about 30 percent of all fishing activity worldwide, removing up to 26 million tonnes of fish from our oceans each year. It can generate up to $ 23 billion one year of illegal profits.

The government of Canada has taken strong and consistent action to end IUU fishing globally. Some valuable Canadian fish stocks, such as tuna and salmon, also share ecosystems or migrate to areas where there is an increased threat from IUU fishing. With 75,000 Canadians employed in the fisheries and aquaculture industry, the government will continue to work hard to protect these livelihoods and the precious resources on which they depend.

To fight against IUU fishing, the government of Canada launched the new Dark Ship Detection Program. This program provides cutting-edge satellite data and analysis to small island states and coastal states, such as Ecuador, where IUU fishing is a major concern.

We also work with our international partners to support the rules-based international order that ensures sustainable international management of fisheries and oceans. Canada played a leading role in the development of the 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement – the international treaty that created the framework for the development of regional fisheries management organizations to manage fish stocks. deep sea fish.

from Canada international efforts also include the ratification of the United Nations Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Discourage and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.

The government of Canada will continue to use the collective capabilities of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Department of National Defense and the Canadian Armed Forces, Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Space Agency to combat IUU fishing.

The Honorable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

Fast facts

Since 2018, the government of Canada honored its commitment to fight against IUU fishing by:

• United Nations Ratification Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Discourage and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, which will give fishery officers increased powers to prevent illegally caught fish and seafood from entering the international market through Canadian ports.
  
• Participate in the Canadian Space Agency program RADARSAT Constellation Mission, which will launch three new satellites to provide data for a wide range of uses, including maritime surveillance.
  
• Ratify the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean, which bans commercial fishing in the high seas of the central Arctic Ocean while research is conducted to learn more about the ecosystem and the potential for a future sustainable harvest.
  
• Contributing $ 1.2 million to Global Fishing Watch to support the continued growth of its free and open source mapping platform to track and analyze fishing activity around the world. In 2020, more than $ 200,000 to support their Marine Manager portal to support marine spatial planning, MPA management and scientific research.
  
• Launch of $ 7 million Dark vessel detection program to locate and track vessels whose location transmitting devices have been turned off, sometimes in an attempt to evade control, control and surveillance.

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SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada

For further information: Jane Deeks, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, 343-550-9594, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 613-990-7537, [email protected]

Related links

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca