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Liberal Opposition Leader Gerry Reid calls Ottawa’s latest efforts to combat
foreign overfishing as little more than a lame effort by the federal
government to reassure Canadians that they are protecting our valuable fish
stocks. The Liberal leader was reacting to yesterday’s announcement from
the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans that his department and the European
Commission(EC) would partner to carry out at-sea inspections in the
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area, just
outside Canada’s 200-mile economic zone.
"This measure will do little to curb overfishing by NAFO members," states
Reid. "The fact of the matter is that both Canada and NAFO, of which EC is a
significant member, have carried out patrols on NAFO’s behalf for a number
of years outside Canada’s 200-mile-limit. While there have been numerous
infractions reported on the Grand Banks during the past decade, the end
result is that these measures have been ineffective in combating the
flagrant overfishing that occurs in these waters."
"Carrying out patrols together and reporting the offenders are only small
parts of the solution. The larger and more serious aspect of this tremendous
problem remains unacknowledged and unaddressed, which is that it is still up
to the offending country to decide whether or not they will fine the
offender and by how much. Canada can inspect and report all the infractions
they want, but most times we do not receive any follow-up on compliance and
enforcement actions. Furthermore, when fines are levied against violating
vessels and their owners, they are insignificant and merely seen by these
distant water fleets as the cost of doing business.
"If the federal fisheries minister wishes to stop foreign overfishing and
conserve these fish, then I suggest he not be led around by the EC which has
its own countries’ interest to protect. It’s time for Minister Hearn to
reaffirm his passion for custodial management, which he spent years in
opposition promoting and which his government committed to in the last two
elections."
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