Joint law-enforcement operation targets U.S. and Canadian maritime border

BOSTON -The U.S. Coast Guard conducted joint patrols with the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans last week to focus attention at the border region waterways.

The patrols, Operation Casper, provided a joint U.S., and Canadian presence to enforce federal laws and heighten awareness of vessel traffic transiting between U.S. , and Canadian waters. Enforcement activities focused on fisheries and safety issues. During this six day operation, concluded on Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard boarded 50 vessels, uncovering a number of safety violations. The U.S. Coast Guard maintained a lookout for suspicious cross-border maritime activity relating to undocumented aliens and contraband smuggling.

Numerous vessels were identified and tracked in the vicinity of Grand Manan Channel, Machias Seal Island , the Hague line and Head Harbor Passage. “Operations such as this improve our collective ability to respond to a threat.” said Rear Admiral Tim Sullivan, commander of the First Coast Guard District headquartered in Boston . “Operation Casper proved beneficial to both awareness of cross border maritime activity and protecting our maritime interests. This joint operation at the U.S.- Canadian maritime border also serves as an effective means to practice and improve coordination in maritime law enforcement and once again demonstrates the significant value of our partnership with Canada.”

The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, expressed his pleasure with the seamless collaboration between the two countries in their efforts. “DFO places a high priority on protecting public safety and ensuring resource conservation by enforcing fishery regulations. We are pleased to work with our US
partners to pursue these common goals.”