DFO says thousands of illegal shark fins found during Pacific patrol

Canadian fishery officers discovered thousands of shark fins during Operation North Pacific Guard, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. (DFO)

Canadian fisheries officers discovered more than 3,000 shark fins while conducting a maritime surveillance and enforcement mission in the North Pacific Ocean, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The agency says the fins were illegally possessed or stored on multiple vessels that were inspected during a two-month patrol of the high seas between British Columbia and Japan.

Some of the fins were from threatened species, including the oceanic whitetip shark, the DFO said in news release Thursday.

The annual enforcement mission, known as Operation North Pacific Guard, included fishery and coast guard officers from the United States and Japan, as well as a Canadian patrol aircraft temporarily based out of Japan.

The DFO says Canada will pursue sanctions for suspected illegal fishing with the countries to which the suspect vessels are registered. The agency says it gathered evidence of 58 suspected violations during the two-month operation.

"We're now at a position where we see all vessels in the Pacific," Sean Wheeler, the DFO's chief of international enforcement, conservation and protection, said in a video statement published by the department.

"So this is part of actually putting boots on deck to inspect and find out what's happening on board those vessels."

Federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier says she is "proud of the leading role Canada plays" in protecting threatened fish stocks and fighting the destruction of marine ecosystems.