Petit-de-Grat – Providing our fishery officers with the equipment and tools they need to protect marine biodiversity is important to the Government of Canada. That is why we are ensuring that the vessels they use are modern, efficient and equipped to keep our officers safe. Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced that four new 44-foot vessels will be built to replace four aging regional small vessels that will no longer be operational. The vessels will increase the capacity of fishery officers to conduct enforcement operations on the water, retrieve more fishing gear, including abandoned, lost or discarded gear, and monitor whales and other species of concern in Atlantic Canada. They will also support officer safety, capable of operating in adverse weather conditions across the region. The procurement of these small vessels will support good-paying jobs in our marine industry. They will be built by Samson Enterprises Ltd., who were awarded the $5.4 million contract through an open process,. This will provide good economic opportunities for Eastern Cape Breton. Two of the patrol vessels are scheduled for delivery in Fall 2023 in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and the remaining two are anticipated to be delivered to the Conservation and Protection team in Atlantic Canada in Spring 2024.
