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.

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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.

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.