DARTMOUTH, NS, Feb. 20, 2025 /CNW/ - Ensuring our fishery officers have the equipment and tools they need to protect marine biodiversity and enforce the Fisheries Act is important to the Government of Canada. Investing in the Small Craft Acquisition Program to replace and update Conservation and Protection (C&P) vessels is one of many ways that we are supporting our fishery officers.
Today, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard announced the arrival of two 44-foot vessels to replace the aging small vessel fleet and support the C&P program; one at its home port in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and the other with a shared home port of Pictou and Cheticamp, Nova Scotia. These vessels are the final of four patrol vessels built to replace four aging vessels that are no longer in service in the C&P fleet.
The vessels will increase the capacity of fishery officers to monitor compliance with the Fisheries Act, retrieve more abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear, and monitor endangered whales and other species of concern in Atlantic Canada. They will also support officer safety, as these vessels are capable of operating in adverse weather conditions.
The vessels were built by Samson Enterprises Ltd., of Pondville, Nova Scotia, who was awarded the $5.4 million contract through an open, transparent and fair process.
Quotes
"We are pleased to welcome these new patrol vessels to Nova Scotia. These new vessels will ensure fishery officers have state-of-the-art technology to help protect the marine environment and ensure safety in adverse weather conditions. I am pleased they are receiving equipment like these new small crafts, so they can do their work more efficiently on the water."
The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Quick Facts
- Funding for the 44-foot vessels came from the Small Craft Acquisition Program (SCAP). It is the mandate of SCAP to replace Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard's aging small craft fleet over the next 25 years.
- Fishery officers provided input into the design and specifications of these vessels to address the specific needs of the Department.
- The length and size of the 44-foot patrol vessel was chosen for its stability and capability to haul gear. The extra length provides three metres more storage space than our average detachment vessel, which accommodates seized and retrieved gear, and is extra stable for hauling gear in adverse weather.
- The C&P program in the DFO Gulf and Maritimes regions have each previously received one new vessel as part of this program.
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SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada
For more information: Andrew Richardson, Acting Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maritimes Region, 902-407-8439, [email protected]
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