DFO raises alarm about ‘rampant illegal fishing’ in protected B.C. waters

While some species of rockfish are designated "of special concern" under the federal Species at Risk Act, protected areas are meant to include all finfish.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is raising the alarm about what it describes as “rampant illegal fishing” in certain British Columbia waters protected for finfish.

DFO officers have observed “significant” illegal harvesting in Rockfish Protected Areas in the Indian Arm region in recent weeks, the department said Thursday.

While some species of rockfish are designated “of special concern” under the federal Species at Risk Act, protected areas for them are meant to include all finfish, such as pink salmon.

“By engaging in this illegal activity, recreational anglers are not only breaking the law, but also seriously compromising the long-term sustainability of at-risk rockfish populations,” DFO said in the release.

The Indian Arm, originally called səl̓ilw̓ət by the Tsleil-Waututh people, is a fjord that stretches north from the Burrard Inlet, passing Deep Cove, Belcarra and Mount Seymour Provincial Park.

Its tidal waters near Vancouver and the suburbs are currently open for pink salmon fishing, as the species is considered “abundant” at this time of year, but fishing for the species is off-limits in the Rockfish Protected Areas.

DFO said its officers have recently ticketed a number of fishers and seized illegal catches from those zones.

“It’s an amazing sight,” fishery officer Trevor Castagnar said of the pink salmon migration into səl̓ilw̓ət.