Question Period Note: Boundary Bay Gear Removal Operation

Boundary Bay Gear Removal Operation

Over the last several years, Fishery Officers have coordinated with the Canadian Coast Guard to retrieve illegally set crab fishing gear and ghost gear from the waters of Boundary Bay near White Rock, British Columbia (BC).

This operation targets strings of crab gear without floats attached, removal of groundlines and lost or abandoned gear that could continue to kill invertebrates.

Dragging operations were conducted over a five day operation in early February, utilizing Conservation and Protection patrol vessels and the Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft to haul and store the fishing gear while on the water.

• Over the last several years, Fishery Officers out of the Fraser Valley West Detachment have coordinated with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) to retrieve illegally set crab fishing gear and "ghost gear" (lost, abandoned or discarded fishing gear) from the waters of Boundary Bay (Pacific Fishery Management Area 29-8).
• Dragging operations were conducted February 7-11, 2022 (5 day operation) from the Fraser Valley West patrol vessel and the Annacis Island Whale Protection Unit vessel. The Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft was used to haul the "strings" and utilized as a platform to store the fishing gear while on the water.
• Recreational, Commercial, and Indigenous fisheries are permitted in Boundary Bay.
• Commercial fishing runs from July - November and has single trap (marked with float) requirements.
• Indigenous fisheries allows for setting of marked strings with marked traps.
• The gear targeted in this operation involved unmarked sets or "strings". Strings can be described as multiple commercial size crab "pots" (also referred to as traps) attached to one main "ground line".
• Numerous strings were set on the ocean floor without attaching a float. The marked floats are a legal requirement in all fisheries. To retrieve an illegally set string, the violating vessel would need to utilize GPS to locate the gear.
• The strings can become lost or abandoned and become "ghost gear".
• The ghost gear thereby continues to fish because invertebrates and fish that enter the pots eventually die, since they cannot escape. After dying, these fish and invertebrates themselves become "bait" and attract more invertebrates and fish to enter the pot.
• The commercial crab fishery accounts for almost one third (approximately 31 per cent) of the wholesale value of the province's wild shellfish products.
• Harvesters who choose to ignore the rules give themselves an unfair advantage, undermine the effective management of the fishery, and threaten the sustainability of the resource.
• Excess harvesting threatens conservation. It also could result in management changes or closures, diminish the significant economic benefit from the fishery to coastal communities, recreational fisheries, commercial harvesters and tourism, and threaten the traditional food source for Indigenous people
• Crab caught illegally can be laundered into the legitimate retail market. Only fish caught under a commercial licence, which permits the sale, or purchase of fish, may be purchased or sold. Any fish sold must be processed through a licensed plant to ensure quality and public safety. Fish that has not been inspected may be unsafe for consumption and post significant health risks.

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