B5 – Enforcement

Purpose

To provide an overview of:

• The Conservation & Protection (C&P) Program
• Core functions and priorities
• Enforcement decision-making

An Overview of C&P

C&P’s Mandate

• From coast-to-coast-to-coast, fishery officers serve Canadians by carrying out Fisheries and Oceans Canada's (DFO) enforcement functions under several legal instruments:
  • Legislative, regulatory, and management measures under the Fisheries Act which govern Indigenous, commercial, and recreational harvesting, as well as fish habitat
  • Protection of species and habitat under the Species at Risk Act
  • Monitoring and protection of marine protected areas (MPAs) under the Oceans Act;
  • Support for Indigenous harvesting under Aboriginal and treaty rights
  • Compliance verification of foreign fishing vessel requirements and international enforcement under the Coastal Fisheries Protection Act and various international treaties (e.g., Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization [NAFO] Convention)

Our Team

• Employees in seven regions and 109 locations across Canada — a significant proportion of which are front line fishery officers.
  • C&P trains its new fishery officers at the Atlantic Police Academy in PEI, with more than 60 new Fishery Officer cadets graduating in 2026-27, in addition to training new instructors.
• C&P’s work is carried out in partnership with many other government agencies and departments, such as the Royal Canadian Mountain Police (RMCP), Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
  • C&P works extensively across several regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) to augment binding fisheries conservation measures, specifically as it relates to Canada's participation in NAFO and the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC).

Our Presence

Pacific Region

• Approximate proportions of C&P FTEs: 26%
• Number of C&P locations: 31

Arctic Region

• Approximate proportions of C&P FTEs: 2%
• Number of C&P locations: 3

Ontario and Prairies

• Approximate proportions of C&P FTEs: 3%,
  • NHQ: 14%
    • Note: # of FTEs in NHQ includes all National Fisheries Intelligence Service (NFIS) employees who report nationally, although many are physically located in the regions.
  • Number of C&P locations: 4

Quebec Region

• Approximate proportions of C&P FTEs: 8%
• Number of C&P locations: 10

Gulf Region

• Approximate proportions of C&P FTEs: 15%
• Number of C&P locations: 19

Maritimes Region

• Approximate proportions of C&P FTEs: 17%
• Number of C&P locations: 20

 Newfoundland & Labrador Region

• Approximate proportions of C&P FTEs: 17%
• Number of C&P locations: 22

Our Assets

Operational assets include:

• Program vessel fleet (~500 craft under 45’)
• Four surveillance aircraft
• Satellite remote sensing (DVD)
• Operational vehicles (e.g., trucks, ATVs, snowmobiles)

Collaboration with CCG to support C&P operations:

• Inshore Vessels
• Mid-shore Patrol Vessels
• Offshore Patrol Vessels
• Small Craft Acquisition Program (SCAP)

Core Functions & Priorities

National C&P Delivery Model - Text version

Key Elements

• Government of Canada and Departmental Results
• Compliance Outcomes / Data
• Education / Shared Stewardship
• Monitoring, Control & Surveillance
• Special Investigations
• Intelligence
• Reconciliation
• Program Support

National Enforcement Priorities

Fisheries Compliance and Enforcement:

• Promoting compliance and enforcement of fisheries through education, stewardship, compliance monitoring and investigations

Aligning Efforts with DFO's Reconciliation Strategy:

• Working with Indigenous groups to advance restorative justice protocols and cooperative operational enforcement agreements

Supporting International Fisheries Management:

• Detecting and deterring IUU fishing
• Conducting monitoring, control and surveillance efforts on high seas with external and international partners

Achieving Marine Conservation Targets:

• Monitoring and enforcing marine protected areas (MPAs)and marine refuges

Protecting Biodiversity and Fish and Fish Habitat:

• Protecting critical habitat, salmon, whales, elvers, and higher risk / targeted species
• Addressing threats related to aquatic invasive species (AIS)

Enforcement Decisions

Pursuant to the Fisheries Act and other statutes, the range of action taken by fishery officers may include:

• Warnings
• Seizures of fish, fishing gear, vessel, or other things
• Ticketing
• Remediation and stop work orders
• Arrest of serious or repeat offenders
• Seizure of boats and vehicles
• Prosecution
  • Where a matter is determined as serious and warrants prosecution, an informed review process may be undertaken. This review involves more senior officers, and other internal experts (where necessary) who provide independent input on relevant aspects of the matter at hand. It may also include consultation with Public Prosecution Service of Canada where the matter relates to complex files (including Rights-based Indigenous matters).

Fishery Officer Enforcement Decisions

• Similar to other police services in Canada, the discretion on what action to take is with the individual officer, guided by policies and training, and the particular circumstances.
• Fishery officers consider the following when violations are encountered to choose an appropriate enforcement measure:
  • severity of the offence; compliance history; aggravating or mitigating factors; and, the anticipated effectiveness of the action in achieving compliance.

Alternative Measures / Restorative Justice

• Seek voluntary compliance
• Reminder of the duty to take corrective measures
• Issue a warning / ticket
• Require corrective measures
• Seek an injunction or make a ministerial order
• Refer for prosecution

Intelligence Supported Enforcement

• The National Fisheries Intelligence Service (NFIS) supports DFO’s Conservation and Protection Directorate through the provision of timely, high-quality actionable intelligence in support of strategic, operational, and tactical decision-making.
• The primary objective of the NFIS is to collect and analyze all-source information to produce intelligence products that support knowledgeable and informed decision making.
• In essence, intelligence provides advice about those aspects of the operational environment on which the decision makers should focus attention.
• NFIS Intelligence Officers and Intelligence Analysts as well as other support staff are spread across the country.

Text version

Diagram illustrating two interconnected processes:

• Intelligence Cycle:
  • Priority Setting
  • Direction & Planning
  • Collection
  • Evaluation
  • Collation
  • Analysis
  • Dissemination
  • Priority Setting
• Enforcement Cycle
  • Priority Setting
  • Direction & Planning
  • Investigation
  • Arrest
  • Disclosure & Protection
  • Impact Assessment
  • Priority Setting
• At the centre of both cycles is a ‘Priority Setting’, indicating that this function informs and connects both cycles.

Examples of Intelligence Supported Enforcement

• Strategic (big picture)
  • Assessment of market trends, fisheries threats, setting priorities
  • Examples:
    • Strategic Threat Risk Assessment
    • Program Analysis (Review of the Observer Program)
    • Market Analysis (understand potential C&P impacts)
• Tactical
  • Inform the day-to-day tactics, actionable, tangible
    • Examples:
    • Entity Profiles
    • Confidential Human Sources
    • Officer Safety Bulletins
• Collaboration With Partners
  • NFIS regularly collaborates with enforcement partners' intelligence groups to share information on subjects of interest
• Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)
  • Financial intelligence (FININT) is the collection and analysis of information about the financial affairs of entities of interest, to understand their nature and capabilities, and predict their intentions.
  • The NFIS leads engagement with FINNT and FINTRAC