DFO Pacific Region wraps up successful Operation Sea Dog 2025
September 16, 2025
Vancouver, British Columbia – Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has successfully concluded its participation with the United States in Operation Sea Dog 2025, a multi-agency international enforcement initiative focused on marine border intelligence, fisheries compliance, and conservation.
Running for two days each month from May to August, 2025, Operation Sea Dog demonstrates the strength of cross-border collaboration in protecting marine resources, ensuring compliance with fisheries regulations, and sharing intelligence.
This year’s operation brought together law enforcement agencies from both Canada and the United States, including the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations—Bellingham Air and Marine Branch, Washington State Fish and Wildlife Police, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and DFO’s Conservation and Protection (C&P). Operation Sea Dog is a good example of cross-border collaboration between both countries in protecting marine resources, ensuring compliance with fisheries regulations, and sharing intelligence. DFO’s National Fisheries Intelligence Service (NFIS) played a key role in supporting real-time intelligence sharing and coordination across agencies during the operation.
Operation Sea Dog focused on high-visibility patrols in the Southern Gulf Islands, Juan de Fuca Strait, and the Strait of Georgia. Officers conducted recreational salmon fishing inspections, monitored area-based fishing closures and supported Southern Resident Killer Whale protection measures.
DFO participated in all four Operation Sea Dog two-day sweeps, during which fishery officers conducted a combined total of 90 vessel-based inspections and 14 land-based vehicle and beach inspections. Officers discovered 34 violations, including the use of barbed hooks, illegal shellfish harvesting, fishing without a licence, fishing during closed times, retaining undersized crabs, and the illegal retention of wild Chinook and Coho salmon.
DFO protects and conserves marine resources, and enforces the Fisheries Act. As part of DFO’s work to disrupt and prevent illegal activity, the Department asks the public for information on activities of this nature or any contravention of the Fisheries Act and regulations. Anyone with information can call DFO’s toll-free violation reporting line at 1-800-465-4336, or email the details to [email protected].