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.â€
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.”
