OTTAWA--"Fishery Officers on the West Coast fear that the Department of Fisheries is once again about to demonstrate its inability to appreciate the worth of their work and that bodes ill for the fishery in what could be another hot summer on the water," said John Cummins, M.P. (Delta-South Richmond).

A selection process is now underway to name a permanent head of enforcement for Pacific Region. The position has been filled on an acting basis for some time by a well-respected senior DFO enforcement officer.

Reliable sources indicate that an individual with no law enforcement or fisheries experience appears to be the front runner in the competition. The individual's only qualification appears to be his close and personal relationship with a senior DFO bureaucrat.

John Fraser in his 1995 report, Fraser River Sockeye, found a breakdown in the department's commitment to enforcement. He reminded the Minister that "the fundamental reason for the Department's existence is for the protection of the resource." Enforcement, he said, must be the first priority of the department.

Recommendation 17: "We recommend that DFO establish an enforcement branch in DFO pacific Region, headed by a director with extensive law enforcement experience, to report to the Regional Director-General and be responsible for developing and maintaining enforcement capability at a level of competence and coverage which would ensure that the Minister's mandated duty to conserve and protect Canada's Pacific fisheries resource will be fulfilled properly."

"John Fraser made it very clear that enforcement must be the first priority for the Minister and that enforcement must be headed by someone with extensive enforcement experience."