Some fishery officers with Fisheries and Oceans Canada are refusing work in Nova Scotia out of concern for their safety, the federal department said Thursday.
While DFO said in a statement it is "making every effort to minimize operational impacts," a group representing fishermen in southwest Nova Scotia said enforcement officers are nowhere to be seen to prevent illegal fishing during the off-season.
"There's illegal fishing occurring and there is no enforcement staff on the road or on the water or on the wharfs. And it's out of hand," Dan Fleck, executive director of the Brazil Rock Lobster Association, told CBC News in an interview Wednesday.
The statement from DFO did not elaborate on the safety concerns, but the department said it has already begun investigating reports of dangerous working conditions as obligated.
"Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) respects the right of employees to refuse dangerous work, and we take reports of dangerous work seriously," said the department.
