Fisheries and Oceans Canada

In 2022, all commercial fisheries in Canada have a new condition of licence relating to the discharge of garbage from Canadian fishing vessels. This condition is authorized under the Fisheries Act and reads as follows:

The licence holder/operator is prohibited from discarding in Canadian fisheries waters from their vessel any item that may be harmful to fish or fish habitat including but not limited to plastics, ropes, fishing gear, garbage bags, fuel, oil, rags, glass, bottles, metal, extruded polystyrene foam (e.g. Styrofoam), and tires.

This new condition of licence demonstrates Canada's further support for the global recognition of the ecological harm caused by marine pollution; specifically marine plastics. This aligns with the prohibition on the discard of garbage into the ocean pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex V, which prohibits the discharge of garbage into the sea from ships.