There was nowhere to hide for illegal fishing vessels on the high seas of the North Pacific, with crew members onboard the Victoria-based Canadian Coast Guard ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier patrolling the area for unreported and unregulated fishing.

After two months travelling an estimated 20,000 kilometres, the ship returned to Victoria on Oct. 28.

Among the findings of the mission were illegally harvested shark fins, evidence of fishing in closed season, unreported catches and instances of marine pollution.

Fifteen vessels, mostly Asian distant water fishing fleets and some from Russia, were boarded during the mission, known as Operation North Pacific Guard.

The boardings also presented Canadian officers with their first opportunity to enforce the newly adopted ban on Pacific salmon retention, which has been in force for North Pacific fishing fleets since July.

On board one vessel, approximately 20 tonnes of Pacific saury was found, worth in the range of $3 million, said Dustin De Gagne, senior program officer for conservation and protection with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), about the illegal and B次元官网网址渟ignificantB次元官网网址� catch.

B次元官网网址淭his is a keystone species in the North Pacific,B次元官网网址� said De Gagne, explaining Pacific saucy is a forage fish vital to the survival of Pacific salmon.

But the illegal catch was not seized by the authorities, instead referred back to the country responsible for the vessel to follow up and investigate.

B次元官网网址淯nder international law, we are not able to actually make seizures of fisheries products or any kind of contraband relating to [illegal, unreported and unregulated] fishing B次元官网网址� only if we are directed so by those authorities,B次元官网网址� said De Gagne.

Complementing the work at sea, Canada also conducted daily aerial surveillance out of Hokkaido, Japan. 

Working in collaboration with fishery officers from Japan and South Korea, DFO fishery officers and aircrew flew a total of 50,419 nautical miles over the course of 34 patrols, while visually inspecting 407 vessels. 

The coast guard says fishery officers reported incidents of B次元官网网址渟hark finning, the targeted harvest of dolphins, pollution incidents, and vessel marking violations.B次元官网网址�

Canada is now working with the appropriate B次元官网网址榝lag statesB次元官网网址� to support further investigations and sanctions on the offending vessels.

Dark vessel detection

Supporting the crew onboard was a system known as B次元官网网址榙ark vessel detectionB次元官网网址�, which would identify boats on the high seas with their monitoring systems switched off, a possible indicator of illegal activity.

B次元官网网址淪o we have a big eye in the sky as you would say,B次元官网网址� said Richard Marriott, captain of Sir Wilfrid Laurier.

As the ship approached B次元官网网址榙ark vesselsB次元官网网址�, crew members noticed fleets would do a B次元官网网址�180-turnB次元官网网址� to evade enforcement.

B次元官网网址淪everal other vessels within that range, or quite a few miles out, would be doing the same behaviour as if there was communication amongst the entire fleet to stop B次元官网网址� scatter and move out of the area,B次元官网网址� said Wayne Johnston, officer in charge.

The deterrent effect is also very significant,B次元官网网址� added De Gagne. B次元官网网址淏ecause there's very few enforcement vessels on the roughly 40 million square kilometres of high seas.B次元官网网址�

Eco-friendy fuel first

Recently re-powered with new engines rated for biodiesel and renewable diesel, the mission also marked the first use of an B次元官网网址渆co-friendlyB次元官网网址� biofuel B次元官网网址� a blend of renewable diesel, biodiesel, and conventional diesel B次元官网网址� by a Canadian Coast Guard vessel.

The biofuel reduced the Sir Wilfrid LaurierB次元官网网址檚 emissions by almost 80 per cent, said the shipB次元官网网址檚 captain, supporting the coast guardB次元官网网址檚 effort to achieve B次元官网网址榥et zero carbonB次元官网网址� by 2050.

B次元官网网址淸It was] absolutely fantastic,B次元官网网址� Marriott adds when asked how the ship ran compared to previous voyages.

The increased efficiency of the ship was also noted by Randy Morford, chief engineer, who said the vessel returned with almost half a tank of fuel.

B次元官网网址淲hen we're full B次元官网网址�. we have just under a million litres of fuel,B次元官网网址� he said, explaining previous missions would require a fuel refill during the patrol.

B次元官网网址淛ust by switching to the biofuels and renewable diesels, we've reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 per cent.B次元官网网址�

World leaders at sea

This mission also marked the first port visit of a Canadian Coast Guard vessel to Japan.

Here, the crew were able to showcase not only their groundbreaking eco-friendly ship, but also the number of female crew members onboard. Something the Japanese Coast Guard found particularly inspiring, says Susan Pickrell, senior director of Western fleet.

Across the Canadian Coast GuardB次元官网网址檚 fleet, around 20 per cent of the crew are female, she says, but the Sir Wilfrid Laurier could boast 33 per cent onboard.

B次元官网网址淚 think the country should be very proud of the leadership that Canada is showcasing in this space, on so many different fronts,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭he work that the fishery officers did was absolutely insurmountable for the importance in that international fishery forum.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淵ou could say weB次元官网网址檙e world leaders,B次元官网网址� she adds.