Pinniped Support Training – Conservation & Protection

DFO is responsible for assisting marine mammals and sea turtles in distress. In collaboration with conservation groups and non-governmental organizations, the Conservation & Protection (C&P) Directorate of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) plays a key role in supporting the department’s Marine Mammal Response Program (MMRP). The MMRP works with partners to track and respond to marine mammal entanglements, strandings (dead & live), ship strikes, and other threats. C&P plays a vital role in the MMRP, with nearly 600 Fishery Officers distributed across the country in over 100 communities with the ability to respond to a variety of marine animal incidents.

To carry this work forward effectively and whereby safety is paramount, Fishery Officers must have knowledge of the risk of working around pinnipeds, including: pinniped identification and basic biology (i.e. pinniped species), health, safety and animal welfare considerations, proper animal assessment and collection of gear (i.e. recovered from an entangled pinniped for further analysis and investigation), pinniped response protocols and techniques, and the safe and effective use of equipment for pinniped response, which have been purchased by the program.

As such, C&P requires a contract for both curriculum development and delivery of training, commonly known as Pinniped Support, for its Fishery Officers to effectively and safely respond to pinnipeds. Response to such incidents necessitates knowledge of proper: personal safety, animal assessment and behaviour, and response option. The Contractor will work with C&P to develop a course curriculum for the pinniped support training, and then deliver training sessions in the DFO regions known as Maritimes, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Pacific, Arctic, and Gulf Regions based on the C&P approved curriculum.