A video allegedly showing fishermen not returning protected species to the water has prompted a government investigation, while conservation groups say more needs to be done to enforce the Fisheries Act.

The footage reportedly shows a pink salmon fishery off B.C.’s North Coast catching protected species like sockeye and chum.

While those species are supposed to be safely returned under B.C.’s fishing laws – that isn’t always happening, according to Aaron Hill, a spokesman for Watershed Watch Salmon Society.

“They’re leaving these fish on the deck for minutes at a time before they put them back in the water, they’re chucking them across the deck, lobbing them through the air, grabbing them by the tails which’ll break the fish’s back,” he said. “They’re throwing these fish back dead. It’s an absolutely waste and it’s an absolute shame.”

Groups like Hill’s are calling on the government to implement more independent observers aboard vessels to monitor what’s happening.

Meanwhile, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced Friday it is launching an investigation into the fishery’s alleged misconduct, assigning officers based in Prince Rupert to look into the video. Cases like this one are only handled as they come up, a government official told CTV News.

“At any given time there’s never enough staff in the whole region – it’s a very big coastline. However, we deploy staff to deal with issues on a priority basis,” said Department spokesman Larry Paike.

Convictions under the Fisheries Act can net thousands of dollars’ worth of fines and even jail time.

Paike said an undercover surveillance of the same fishery last year didn’t spot any violations.

“Clearly we have to revisit that this year and conduct an investigation,” he said.

The investigation comes just one day after the federal government agency imposed a salmon fishing ban on the Fraser River.

The DFO said it has resorted to the ban in an attempt to conserve this year’s low salmon population, which was originally forecast at 4.7 million but now appears to be roughly half that.

Record-high water temperatures in the Fraser, which diminish the salmons’ ability to swim and contribute to disease outbreaks, are blamed in part for the dismal numbers.

WIth a report from CTV British Columbia's Maria Weisgarber