Poaching Alert

1-800-463-9057

Poaching is
everybody’s business! Look at our videos 

• Message from a lobster harvester
• Message from a groundfish harvester
• Fishery officer and recreational fishermen
• The Poaching Alert line

Marine species are part of our collective heritage. Their value is priceless and we all share in the responsibility of preserving them.

Unfortunately, every year, illegal acts endanger fish stocks and their habitats. The most common Fishery Act infractions are:

• fishing by non licence-holders
• fishing in a closed area
• exceeding authorized catch limits
• use of illegal fishing gear
• the sale of fish caught by recreational fishers
• altering, disturbing or destroying fish habitats
• pollution of the coastal or marine environment

Report Poaching Incidents

If you witness poaching or destruction of fish habitats, contact the DFO Poaching Alert Network (1-800-463-9057). In doing so, you’ll be assisting the fishery officers and help protect marine resources.

Before calling Poaching Alert, make sure you have on hand as many details as possible, for instance:

• nature of the offence;
• place, date and time of the offence;
• identity of the offenders or their description;
• description and registration number of the vessel and/or vehicle, and
• any available evidence of the offence (photos may prove very useful as evidence)

The identity of persons calling Poaching Alert is kept confidential. Callers can remain anonymous and are not required to serve as witnesses in legal proceedings.

Calls are immediately processed to determine the seriousness of the offence and, depending on priority, are transmitted to fishery officers to be investigated as soon as possible.

Contact us

Poaching Alert

Phone: 1-800-463-9057 (confidential)

Links of Interest

Pirates de la mer : notre faune est-elle menacée par le braconnage?
Patrolling by boat, from the air or on land, Fisheries and Oceans Canada officers use every means to try to protect marine resources.
Kilomètre zéro, Télé-Québec – October 25, 2010* (in French)

* Fisheries and Oceans Canada is not responsible for the content of any third-party sites.