VANCOUVER -Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced today that two Vancouver residents have been fined in a Surrey provincial court for illegally commercial fishing for crab in U.S. waters.

On October 15, 2001 and October 17, 2001, fishery officers observed husband and wife Phuc Ma and Anh Ma illegally fishing in the U.S. waters of Boundary Bay in the vessel Silver Fox.

Phuc Ma received a $20,000 fine, of which $15,000 will go towards a video monitoring program or crab management projects on the Pacific coast. Mr. Ma was also fined an additional $907 as compensation for costs incurred in the seizure of the vessel Silver Fox. Anh Ma was fined $2,000. Both fishermen have been caught illegally fishing in U.S. waters in the past.

Phuc Ma and Anh Ma were charged as part of "Operation over the line 2001," a joint enforcement operation involving Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. The purpose of this operation was to collect information on cross border illegal fishing and to apprehend Canadian commercial crab vessels fishing illegally in U.S. waters. Canadian fishery officers used digital video equipment with an 80-times zoom lens to observe vessels fishing up to 16 kilometres away.

Joint enforcement efforts are necessary since the Boundary Bay commercial crab fishery has had chronic problems with Canadian fishers fishing in U.S. waters without proper licences. Illegal fishing in U.S. waters is not only an international and economic issue, but also one of conservation of Canadian crab stocks. Courts have been issuing higher fines as a result of the chronic problems of illegal crab fishing. In addition to fines, offenders may have their vessel forfeited.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is very concerned about illegal fishing activity and asks for assistance from the general public in reporting activities of this nature or any contravention of the Fisheries Act and Regulations. Anyone with information can call the 24-hour, toll-free Observe, Record, Report line at 1-800-465-4336.  

Media contacts:

Barry Zunti
Fishery Officer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region
(604) 607-4162

Jason Knight
Fishery Officer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region
(604) 607-4164