Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Conservation and Protection Program (C&P) is tasked with complying with and enforcing the provisions of the modernized fisheries law. More than 600 fisheries officials in Canada will work with the public, fishers, indigenous communities and industry to ensure that change is understood.  One of the primary functions of a fisheries officer is to keep harvest workers and the public informed about changes in laws and regulations so that they can take voluntary action to comply. Officials will engage the public and industry in discussions about how changes to the modernized Fisheries Law will improve the protection of marine and freshwater species, the consequences of violations, and the impact on:

• recreational activities
• licensing conditions
• any work planned near water

In the past two years, the Canadian government has invested more than US $ 50 million in new resources to enforce the fishing industry. C&P has used these resources to enhance our law enforcement capabilities and technology and to recruit more than 120 new fisheries officers across Canada.

C and P is also working to:

• enhance our national Fisheries Aerial Surveillance and Enforcement (FASE) program
• complete the implementation of our National Fisheries Intelligence Service
• improve digital forensics capacity
• upgrade our information management infrastructure
• modernize radio communications to increase interoperability with our partners, including the Canadian Coast Guard, RCMP, Canadian Border Services Agency and local police forces

A key element of the increased execution capacity is the recent award of a $ 128 million 5-year contract to PAL Aerospace, an international aerospace and defense company based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Under the contract, the FASE program will be expanded to include 3 operating bases: (St. John's, NL; Halifax, NS; Campbell River, BC), which will host 4 surveillance aircraft, including 2 long-haul aircraft. These aircraft are used in support of enforcement activities under the Fisheries Act and the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization, as well as for aerial surveillance of:

• Marine Protected Areas
• North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Bay of Fundy
• Southern Resident killer whales along the coast of BC

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