DFO raises awareness of illegal fishing along Indian Arm

CHILLIWACK — Fisheries and Oceans Canada is raising the alarm about what it describes as “rampant illegal fishing” in certain British Columbia waters protected for finfish.

The department says its officers have seen “significant” illegal harvesting in Rockfish Protected Areas in the Indian Arm area of B-C’s Lower Mainland.

Some species of rockfish are designated as “special concern” under the federal Species at Risk Act — and fishing for all kinds of finfish, including pink salmon, is not allowed in designated areas set aside to protect the rockfish.

There are 38 species of rockfish in B-C waters, protected by 162 Rockfish Conservation Areas spanning 48-hundred kilometres of coastline.