For ITQs, the Department of Fishesies and Oceans chose an industry-designed, managed, and funded Dockside Monitoring Program aimed at verifying and tracking the landings of each fisherman at the wharf. By early 1993, approximately 11 fleet sectors or associations were participating in the program on the East Coast. A dockside monitoring program, which was also based on honour, was then developed. You cannot have a fishery where there is no control. There is no control on the system.
Enforcement is a joke.
Our basic principle has been that, once the people have their quota of the amount that they fish for the year, we then have to make it next to impossible for those people to catch small fish or to discard fish. Those crimes have to be taken very seriously. We have regulated the gear mesh size and the configuration of the mesh so that only larger fish are caught. Committee Proceedings, Issue No. 9, p. 8, 20. Nearly all who appeared before us agreed on the need for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to enforce its fisheries regulations more strictly.