Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has arrested the captain of a fishing vessel and seized nearly 18,000 pounds of halibut following a multi-day surveillance operation off Eastern Nova Scotia earlier this month.

In a statement issued July 20, the department said fishery officers arrested the captain on charges of illegal fishing and failure to hail-in, and seized 17,834 pounds of halibut valued at roughly $170,000.

According to DFO, officers tracked the vessel inside the St. Anns Bank Marine Protected Area between July 6 and 8 and tried repeatedly to hail the captain. The vessel continued fishing within the protected area despite those attempts, in violation of the Oceans Act, the department said.

Officers boarded the vessel at sea on July 8 and directed the captain to bring it to port in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. The catch was offloaded the following day.

DFO said the captain fished longline illegally, obstructed officers in the course of their duties and refused to hail-in the catch, all violations of the Fisheries Act.

The department emphasized that accurate reporting is critical to sustaining fish stocks, maintaining the integrity of scientific data and management decisions, and supporting the long-term economic health of the fishery.

An investigation into the violations is ongoing.