Salmon Tensions Rise in Prince Rupert as DFO Enforces Retained Sockeye, Purse Seine Rules
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [The Northern view] by Kevin Campbell August 11, 2016
A substantial increase in conservation and protection officers from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in early August has caused some fishermen to call foul in Prince Rupert.
Stemming from an incident on Aug. 2, allegedly involving four to five fishermen and at least two DFO officers, a tense confrontation led the department to ramp up the presence of officers at the Canfisco Oceanview plant throughout the following eight to 10 days.
“[The officers] went out and they encountered a lot of non-compliance with some of the regulatory pieces in the same fishery that was open and the one we were concerned about was what we call ramping (seine net hauled aboard en masse, causing fish to be crushed) [versus] brailing their catch, using a smaller net to lift the fish out of the bigger seine net,” said Tom Hlavac, acting regional director for conservation and protection Pacific Region last week.
The incident allegedly involved some angry and agitated fishermen yelling at an officer who had boarded a vessel...
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