DFO in Maritimes concerned about ‘pattern’ of violence, threats faced by officers

The federal Fisheries Department says it is concerned about a “pattern” of violence and threats toward its enforcement officers after two tense incidents off southwestern Nova Scotia last month.

In a news release today, the department cites a Sept. 19 case in St. Marys Bay, alleging that fishery officers faced “an attempted assault while conducting routine at-sea enforcement activities.”

The investigators say they made arrests and seized the vessel and unauthorized lobster traps, and referred the assault investigation to the RCMP.

The release also says that on Sept. 25 fishery officers attempted to board and inspect a vessel in St. Marys Bay but the operator tried to evade them, leading to a collision between the two vessels.

The comments from the Fisheries Department come as some officers have refused to participate in enforcement duties, making a claim under the Canada Labour Code that their work is too dangerous.

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RCMP spokesman Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said officers laid charges of obstruction and assaulting a police officer against a 27-year-old man in the Sept. 19 case but concluded no crime occurred in the Sept. 25 incident.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2024.