More than 200 ghost crab traps were seized in Boundary Bay by fisheries officers, in their most recent operation to rid the waters of the deadly gear.
Identifying it as one of the largest threats to oceans, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says that marine litter and ghost fishing gear — fishing gear that has been abandoned, lost or left in the water — poses one of the greatest risk to oceans, often being deadly to animals that will continue to get trapped in the gear.
Over the course of four days, from Jan. 23 to 26, conservation and protection officers from DFO took to the waters near White Rock, while using a hovercraft, to contest illegal fishing. From this operation, 251 traps were seized from the ocean, according to a release from DFO.
“Traps that have been abandoned or lost and continue to fish and kill crab or finfish indefinitely are considered ‘ghost gear’ as the traps still capture fish due the to escape mechanisms being manipulated so that they do not properly function,” the release explains.
“All live fish or invertebrates entering become bait themselves over time once the actual bait originally put in the trap to attract crab is exhausted. These traps can also become buried in the mud over time so are more difficult or impossible to retrieve.”
Compared to last year, this year’s number of traps slightly dipped, as January 2023 saw an operation seize 270 crab traps in Boundary Bay.
RELATED: Hundreds of suspected illegal, ghost crab traps seized in Boundary Bay by fisheries officers
From this year’s retrieval, the department shared that 1,400 crabs were released from the traps — the majority consisting of Dungeness, red rock, some graceful crabs and one kelp crab.
Of the 251 traps that were captured, 150 of them were sealed shut, while the remaining 82 had commercial and communal fishing tags.
“The illegal traps are disposed of by destruction or, if there is value, they are sold through government auction,” DFO media relations adviser Leri Davies writes.
If fishery officers can identify who is behind the traps and other gear seized, the individual or individuals may be charged, DFO adds.
Gear that is considered to not be within Canada’s regulations includes a lack of proper floats identifying its location, not having proper markings or tags on floats and crab traps, fishing more than the allotted amount of gear and fishing in closed or prohibited areas.
To report suspected illegal fishing or sales of illegal harvest, call the toll-free violation reporting line at