Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Encyclopedia
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, frequently referred to as DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans), is the department
within the government of Canada
that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland waters. Its mandate includes responsibility for the conservation and sustainable use of Canada's fisheries resources while continuing to provide safe, effective and environmentally sound marine services that are responsive to the needs of Canadians in a global economy. The stated vision of the department is "Excellence in service to Canadians to ensure the sustainable development
and safe use of Canadian waters."
The federal government is constitutionally mandated for conservation and protection of fisheries resources in all Canadian fisheries waters. However, the department is largely focused on the conservation and allotment of harvests of salt water fisheries on the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic coasts of Canada. The department works toward conservation and protection of inland freshwater fisheries, such as on the Great Lakes
and Lake Winnipeg
through cooperative agreements with various provinces. Provincial governments have enacted provincial fisheries legislation, for the licensing of their fisheries. With the exception of Saskatchewan, conservation rules for freshwater fisheries are enacted under the Fisheries Act; six provinces administer these regulations in their own fisheries.
To address the need for conservation, the department has an extensive science
branch, with research institutes in various locations across the country. Typically the science branch provides evidence for the need of conservation of various species, which are then regulated by the department. DFO also maintains a large enforcement branch with peace officer
s (known as Fishery Officers) used to combat poaching and foreign overfishing within Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone
.
DFO is responsible for several organizations, including the Canadian Coast Guard
and the Canadian Hydrographic Service
.
was the Minister of Marine and Fisheries, with the first minister having been the Hon. Peter Mitchell
. The department was headquartered in the Centre Block of Parliament Hill
until the disastrous fire of 1916, after which it was moved into the West Block and then off Parliament Hill entirely when new government office buildings were constructed in Ottawa
.
Fishery Officers are designated under section 5(1) of the Act and as peace officers employed to educate and enforce all provisions of the Act and other related acts and regulations. They carry firearms and other weapons such as pepper spray
while conducting patrols and other enforcement initiatives.
Fishery Guardians are also designated under section 5(1) of the Act and as peace officers but are not necessarily employed by the department. For example, a provincial conservation officer may be designated as a fishery guardian for the purpose of enforcing the Act. In general, fishery guardians cannot conduct a search unless authorized by a warrant or conditions are met under warrantless search of the Criminal Code of Canada
. Under the Aboriginal Guardian Program, certain first nations may submit to the Minister to designate certain band members as guardians.
Fishery Inspectors are designated under section 38(1) of the Act, specifically to enforce the pollution prevention sections of Fisheries Act. They are not peace officers and have limited powers vis-a-vis the other two designations.
Responsibility for the construction and operation of canals was given to the Department of Public Works at the time of Confederation
, with the canals of the United Province of Canada having been previously operated by that colony's Department of Public Works.
In its early days, one of the department's most active agencies was the operation of the Marine Service of Canada, which became the forerunner to the Canadian Coast Guard
, with vessels dedicated to performing maintenance of buoys and lighthouses. Whereas fisheries management wasn't as important as it became in the latter part of the 20th century, a major responsibility for the Department of Marine and Fisheries included the provisioning of rescue stations and facilities at the notorious shipwreck
sites of Sable Island
and St. Paul Island
off Nova Scotia
.
The department also had responsibility for overseeing the qualification of apprenticing sailors who desired to become mates or shipping masters, as well as several marine police forces, which attempted to combat illegal crimping (the trafficking of sailors in human bondage at major ports).
The foray into enforcement saw the department operate the "Dominion cruisers" which were armed enforcement vessels operating for the Fisheries Protection Service of Canada, a continuation of the "Provincial Marine" enforcement agencies of the British North America
n colonies. These ships, and other chartered schooner
s and the like, would cruise the fishing grounds off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, watching for violations within Canada's territorial sea, then only 3 nautical miles (6 km) from shore.
.
In 1909-1910, the Department of Marine and Fisheries became linked to efforts to develop a Canadian naval force, when on March 29, 1909, a Member of Parliament, George Foster, introduced a resolution in the House of Commons calling for the establishment of a "Canadian Naval Service". The resolution was not successful; however, on January 12, 1910, the government of Prime Minister
Sir Wilfrid Laurier took Foster's resolution and introduced it as the Naval Service Bill. After third reading, the bill received royal assent on May 4, 1910, and became the Naval Service Act, administered by the Minister of Marine and Fisheries at the time.
The official title of the navy was the "Naval Service of Canada" (also "Canadian Naval Forces"), and the first Director of the Naval Service of Canada was Rear-Admiral Charles Kingsmill
(Royal Navy, retired), who was previously in charge of the Marine Service of the Department of Marine and Fisheries. The "Naval Service of Canada" changed its name to Royal Canadian Navy
on January 30, 1911, but it was not until August 29, 1911 that the use of "Royal" Canadian Navy was permitted by King George V
.
.
* In 1935, the Department of Marine was merged with the Department of Railways and Canals
and the Civil Aviation Branch of the Department of National Defence
to form the Department of Transport, also known as Transport Canada
.
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
within the government of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland waters. Its mandate includes responsibility for the conservation and sustainable use of Canada's fisheries resources while continuing to provide safe, effective and environmentally sound marine services that are responsive to the needs of Canadians in a global economy. The stated vision of the department is "Excellence in service to Canadians to ensure the sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
and safe use of Canadian waters."
The federal government is constitutionally mandated for conservation and protection of fisheries resources in all Canadian fisheries waters. However, the department is largely focused on the conservation and allotment of harvests of salt water fisheries on the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic coasts of Canada. The department works toward conservation and protection of inland freshwater fisheries, such as on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
and Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...
through cooperative agreements with various provinces. Provincial governments have enacted provincial fisheries legislation, for the licensing of their fisheries. With the exception of Saskatchewan, conservation rules for freshwater fisheries are enacted under the Fisheries Act; six provinces administer these regulations in their own fisheries.
To address the need for conservation, the department has an extensive science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
branch, with research institutes in various locations across the country. Typically the science branch provides evidence for the need of conservation of various species, which are then regulated by the department. DFO also maintains a large enforcement branch with peace officer
Peace officer
A law enforcement officer , in North America, is any public-sector employee or agent whose duties involve the enforcement of laws. The phrase can include police officers, prison officers, customs officers, immigration officers, bailiffs, probation officers, parole officers, auxiliary officers, and...
s (known as Fishery Officers) used to combat poaching and foreign overfishing within Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone
Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
.
DFO is responsible for several organizations, including the Canadian Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
and the Canadian Hydrographic Service
Canadian Hydrographic Service
The Canadian Hydrographic Service is Canada's hydrographic office, with responsibility for performing hydrographic surveys and publishing paper and electronic nautical charts...
.
History
The Department of Marine and Fisheries was created on July 1, 1867, although it did not receive legislative authority until May 22, 1868. The department's political representative in ParliamentParliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
was the Minister of Marine and Fisheries, with the first minister having been the Hon. Peter Mitchell
Peter Mitchell (politician)
Peter Mitchell, PC was a Canadian politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation.Mitchell ran again in 1856 as an opponent of prohibition, which had been proposed by the government. He carried a pistol for protection during the campaign and rum for his supporters. He was successful in this...
. The department was headquartered in the Centre Block of Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
until the disastrous fire of 1916, after which it was moved into the West Block and then off Parliament Hill entirely when new government office buildings were constructed in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
Enforcement
There are 3 designations under the Fisheries Act - Fishery Officers, Fishery Guardians and Fishery Inspectors.Fishery Officers are designated under section 5(1) of the Act and as peace officers employed to educate and enforce all provisions of the Act and other related acts and regulations. They carry firearms and other weapons such as pepper spray
Pepper spray
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...
while conducting patrols and other enforcement initiatives.
Fishery Guardians are also designated under section 5(1) of the Act and as peace officers but are not necessarily employed by the department. For example, a provincial conservation officer may be designated as a fishery guardian for the purpose of enforcing the Act. In general, fishery guardians cannot conduct a search unless authorized by a warrant or conditions are met under warrantless search of the Criminal Code of Canada
Criminal Code of Canada
The Criminal Code or Code criminel is a law that codifies most criminal offences and procedures in Canada. Its official long title is "An Act respecting the criminal law"...
. Under the Aboriginal Guardian Program, certain first nations may submit to the Minister to designate certain band members as guardians.
Fishery Inspectors are designated under section 38(1) of the Act, specifically to enforce the pollution prevention sections of Fisheries Act. They are not peace officers and have limited powers vis-a-vis the other two designations.
Operations
DFO is organized into the following regional divisions:- Pacific Region (British Columbia and Yukon)
- Central and Arctic Region (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Northwest Territories, Nunavut)
- Quebec Region (Quebec)
- Maritimes Region (Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia)
- Gulf Region (Prince Edward Island and the Gulf of St. Lawrence watershed in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia)
- Scotia-Fundy Region (Bay of Fundy watershed in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and Atlantic Ocean watershed in Nova Scotia)
- Newfoundland and Labrador Region (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Responsibilities
The department's responsibilities were described as follows:Sea-Coast and Inland Fisheries, Trinity HouseTrinity HouseThe Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters...
s, Trinity Boards, Pilots, Decayed Pilots Funds, Beacons, Buoys, Lights and Lighthouses and their maintenance, Harbours, Ports, Piers, Wharves, Steamers and Vessels belonging to the Government of Canada, except gunboats or other vessels of war, harbour commissioners, harbour masters, classification of vessels, examination and granting of certificates of masters and mates, and others in the merchant service, shipping masters and shipping offices, inspection of steamboats and board of steamboat inspection, enquiries into causes of shipwrecks, establishment, regulation and maintenance of marine and seamen hospitals, and care of distressed seamen, and generally such matters as refer to the marine and navigation of Canada.
Responsibility for the construction and operation of canals was given to the Department of Public Works at the time of Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
, with the canals of the United Province of Canada having been previously operated by that colony's Department of Public Works.
In its early days, one of the department's most active agencies was the operation of the Marine Service of Canada, which became the forerunner to the Canadian Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
, with vessels dedicated to performing maintenance of buoys and lighthouses. Whereas fisheries management wasn't as important as it became in the latter part of the 20th century, a major responsibility for the Department of Marine and Fisheries included the provisioning of rescue stations and facilities at the notorious shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
sites of Sable Island
Sable Island
Sable Island is a small Canadian island situated 300 km southeast of mainland Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is a year-round home to approximately five people...
and St. Paul Island
St. Paul Island, Nova Scotia
St. Paul Island is a small uninhabited island located approximately northeast of Cape North on Cape Breton Island and southwest of Cape Ray on Newfoundland; it is along the boundary between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Cabot Strait....
off Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
The department also had responsibility for overseeing the qualification of apprenticing sailors who desired to become mates or shipping masters, as well as several marine police forces, which attempted to combat illegal crimping (the trafficking of sailors in human bondage at major ports).
The foray into enforcement saw the department operate the "Dominion cruisers" which were armed enforcement vessels operating for the Fisheries Protection Service of Canada, a continuation of the "Provincial Marine" enforcement agencies of the British North America
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
n colonies. These ships, and other chartered schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s and the like, would cruise the fishing grounds off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, watching for violations within Canada's territorial sea, then only 3 nautical miles (6 km) from shore.
Naval service
Prior to the First World War, Canada had limited naval forces, with the majority of protection having been offered by the enforcement vessels of the Department of Marine and Fisheries (the Dominion Cruisers), and by Britain's Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
In 1909-1910, the Department of Marine and Fisheries became linked to efforts to develop a Canadian naval force, when on March 29, 1909, a Member of Parliament, George Foster, introduced a resolution in the House of Commons calling for the establishment of a "Canadian Naval Service". The resolution was not successful; however, on January 12, 1910, the government of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Sir Wilfrid Laurier took Foster's resolution and introduced it as the Naval Service Bill. After third reading, the bill received royal assent on May 4, 1910, and became the Naval Service Act, administered by the Minister of Marine and Fisheries at the time.
The official title of the navy was the "Naval Service of Canada" (also "Canadian Naval Forces"), and the first Director of the Naval Service of Canada was Rear-Admiral Charles Kingsmill
Charles Kingsmill
Admiral Sir Charles Edmund Kingsmill was the first Director of the Royal Canadian Navy.Charles Edmund Kingsmill was born at Guelph, Ontario in 1855 and educated at Upper Canada College in Toronto. He was the son of John Juchereau Kingsmill, Crown Attorney for Wellington County and Ellen Diana...
(Royal Navy, retired), who was previously in charge of the Marine Service of the Department of Marine and Fisheries. The "Naval Service of Canada" changed its name to Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
on January 30, 1911, but it was not until August 29, 1911 that the use of "Royal" Canadian Navy was permitted by King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
.
Departmental name changes
Since Confederation, the responsibilities of the original Department of Marine and Fisheries, namely the Fisheries Service and the Marine Service, have transferred among several departments. The formal name of the department is the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. It is also referred to as "Fisheries and Oceans Canada" under the Federal Identity ProgramFederal Identity Program
The Federal Identity Program is the Canadian government's corporate identity program. The purpose of the FIP is to clearly identify each program and service of the government or the government of Canada in general. Managed by the Treasury Board Secretariat, this program, and the government's...
.
- 1867 - 1884 Department of Marine and Fisheries
- 1884 - 1892 Department of Fisheries
- 1892 - 1914 Department of Marine and Fisheries
- 1914 - 1920 Department of Naval Services
- 1920 - 1930 Department of Marine and Fisheries
- 1930 - 1969 Department of Fisheries
- 1930 - 1935 Department of Marine*
- 1969 - 1971 Department of Fisheries and Forestry
- 1971 - 1976 Department of the Environment
- 1976 - 1979 Department of Fisheries and the Environment
- 1979 - 2008 Department of Fisheries and Oceans
- 2008 - Present Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Department of Railways and Canals (Canada)
The Department of Railways and Canals is a former department of the Government of Canada. It had responsibility for the construction, operation, and maintenance of federal government-owned railways, as well as the operational responsibility for canals in Canada.The department was created in 1879...
and the Civil Aviation Branch of the Department of National Defence
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
to form the Department of Transport, also known as Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
.
Related Legislation
- Canada Shipping Act
- Canada Shipping Act, 2001
- Coastal Fisheries Protection Act
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Act
- Financial Administration Act
- Fish Inspection Act
- Fisheries Act
- Fisheries Development Act
- Fisheries Prices Support Act (repealed)
- Fishing and Recreational Harbours Act
- Freshwater Fish Marketing Act
- Navigable Waters Protection Act
- Oceans Act
- Species at Risk Act