Management of Contaminated Fisheries

Act: Fisheries Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-14
Regulation: Management of Contaminated Fisheries Regulations, SOR/90-351

To Whom Does This Apply?

The Regulations affect fishers.

Summary

The Fisheries Act governs the management of fisheries resources and habitats and sets out the rules and penalties for day-to-day conservation and management.

The Management of Contaminated Fisheries Regulations allow the government to control the harvesting of fish in areas that are affected by contamination or toxicity (the presence of poisons). The Regulations give the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) the ability to quickly close any fishery where toxicity or contamination has reached unacceptable levels.

Prohibition Order*

3(1) Where a Regional Director General has reason to believe that fish of any species in any area are contaminated, the Regional Director General may issue an order prohibiting fishing in that area for that species.

3(2) Notwithstanding any other regulations made under the Fisheries Act, where a Regional Director General issues an order in respect of an area, no person shall, in that area, fish for or catch and retain any species of fish specified in the order unless:

• the person is the holder of a licence issued under subsection 4(1) and is carrying that licence; or
• the person is named in a licence issued under subsection 4(1) and is carrying a copy of that licence.

For more information, consult the Management of Contaminated Fisheries Regulations on the Department of Justice Canada Web site.

* Please follow the link for the complete text of the Regulation.

DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this section is of a general nature only and is not intended to constitute advice for any specific fact situation. For particular questions, the users are invited to contact their lawyer. For additional information, see contact(s) listed below.

Manitoba Contact(s):
See National Contact.

National Contact(s):
Director
Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Centennial Towers
200 Kent Street
Station 14-E-241
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0E6
Telephone: 613-993-2361
Fax: 613-990-2811
TTY (hearing impaired): 613-941-6517
E-mail: ra-ar@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/home-accueil_e.htm
Hours of operation: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Friday (Eastern Time).