DFO monitors Nunavut fishery from the air
Aerial surveillance done mostly in Davis Strait
Fisheries officers in Nunavut have been taking to the air to keep tabs on who's fishing in Nunavut waters.
Officers with Fisheries and Oceans Canada have been doing more and more aerial surveillance of fishing vessels.
They've mostly been watching Davis Strait. That's where companies are making big money pulling out turbot.
Jeff MacDonald with DFO in Nunavut says officers need to make sure fishing boats aren't breaking laws, by fishing out of bounds for example.
"We do a pretty good job of it," he said. "But we have to use multiple platforms, whether it's an aircraft like this, whether it's a ship that we use down offshore, or whether we fly into communities and have a presence locally in those communities with those issues there."
MacDonald says the aerial surveillance program has so far been effective.
He says some companies have been charged for fishing violations, and those cases are now before the courts.