BRAMPTON, ON, Aug. 2, 2024
/CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to protecting Canadian and
foreign species of wild animals and plants that are threatened, or
that may be at risk of overexploitation due to unsustainable or
illegal trade.
On August 2, 2024, Bos Smoked Fish Inc. was fined
$25,000 by the Ontario Court of Justice, in Brampton. The company pleaded guilty, on
August 1, 2024, to one charge for
violating the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of
International and Interprovincial Trade Act. This offence
relates to illegally importing European Eel parts, including smoked
eel and eel fillets. The $25,000 fine
will be directed to the Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund.
In addition to the fine, approximately 662 kilograms of eel
were ordered to be forfeited, which ensures that the illegally
imported product is removed from the commercial market. The
importer paid $35,000 for the eel
meat.
In April 2023, Bos Smoked Fish
Inc. imported 662 kilograms of what was declared as processed eel
into Canada from the Netherlands. Environment and Climate
Change Canada enforcement officers inspected the shipment and took
samples for DNA analysis. An Environment and Climate Change Canada
laboratory determined that the majority of the imported product was
European Eel.
The European Eel is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES). Appendix II–listed species are species that need controls
to protect them, therefore importers must obtain a permit to import
them lawfully into Canada.
The company was charged with one count of importing European
Eel, a CITES-listed species, without a permit, which is a
contravention of subsection 6(2) of the Wild Animal and
Plant Protection and Regulation of International and
Interprovincial Trade Act.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has created a free
subscription service to help Canadians stay current with what
the Government of Canada is doing
to protect the natural environment.
Quick facts
- The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora is an international agreement that
Canada joined in 1975. As a party
to the agreement, Canada adopted
domestic legislation to regulate or, in some cases, prohibit trade
in specific wild animal and plant species, as well as their
respective parts and derivatives. The Wild Animal and Plant
Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial
Trade Act is the Canadian federal law through which
Canada meets its obligations under
CITES.
- The European Eel, listed in Appendix II of CITES, is classified
as critically endangered by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature's Red List
(2018) and is subject to the European Union eel regulations.
Species are listed in Appendix II when there is a risk of
extinction unless trade is regulated. Import and export of species
listed in Appendix II are possible if the appropriate permits are
obtained. Specimens imported into Canada must be accompanied by a CITES export
permit (or re-export certificate) issued by the exporting country.
The permit is part of the system of strict trade controls which
help ensure that any trade in these species is legal, sustainable,
and traceable.
- Created in 1995, the Environmental Damages Fund is a Government
of Canada program administered by
Environment and Climate Change Canada. The Fund directs monies
received from fines, penalties, court orders, and voluntary
payments to projects that will repair environmental damage or
benefit the environment. The Fund aims to invest in areas where the
environmental damage occurred.
- Call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or 1-800-711-1800 if you
are located in the Province of Quebec, to anonymously report wildlife crime.
You may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000 from Crime Stoppers.
Associated links
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora
- Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of
International and Interprovincial Trade Act
- Environmental Damages Fund
Environment and Climate Change Canada's X (Twitter) page
Environment and Climate Change Canada's Facebook page
SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada