There has never been any mandated IPHC reductions in Area 2B to the actual commercial catch due to any sport overages? That is NOT what the past IPHC records indicate, whatsoever! In fact, would you mind showing me when there was any IPHC commercial catch reduction mandated due to any overage, including commercial overages?
Yes, in theory that is what everyone wants us to believe and the way it is supposed to work. Now look at those past records! First you will see the “over” some years and the “under” in others. Look closer! You will TACs. Then always the “notes” adjustments from year to year like this,
“Adjustments totaling -51,687 pounds were made to the commercial fishery catch limit which included carryover from the previous year’s underage/overage plan and quota held by DFO for First Nations through relinquishment processes.”
Then the next year, the only thing that ever happened is the “catch-up and carry-over” number was carried forward. Now add all those years of “overage” and “underage” numbers together. Oops… commercial sector is “OVER” their TAC and has been for years! Area 2B commercial catch has NEVER been reduced due to any overage.
Area 2B has 405,000 taken right off the top for FN. To figure the TAC just take the IPHC TAC, subtract the FN “unmonitored” 405,000 pounds and that will give you the allowable TAC for commercial and sport sectors. Multiply the balance by the appropriate percentage. There is a little overall “overage” from last year; however, don’t worry about that, as stated IPHC will just carry that forward. If DFO does try to reduce the sport sector… you guys need to call BS and run for legal counsel in a hurry! IPHC could care less what percentage goes to who. Now with that keep in mind the IPHC was originally setup for and is still controlled by the commercial industry.
Maybe this will help some understand how things are figured? This information was taken directly from the IPHC website:
British Columbia
The primary source of personal use harvest in British Columbia was the First Nations FSC fishery. In past years, the IPHC has received some logbook and landing data for this harvest from the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) but those data have not been adequate for the IPHC to make an independent estimate of the FSC fishery harvest. Thus, the IPHC relies on DFO for an estimate. Through 2006, DFO had estimated this harvest to be 300,000 pounds annually, a figure that had remained unchanged for a decade. Since 2007, this harvest estimate has been fixed at 405,000 pounds (Table 3).
The adjusted catch limit represents the IPHC catch limit with adjustments from the underage and overage programs from the previous year’s quota share program, and in Area 2B, it also includes relinquishment of quota and quota leasing programs between sectors.
The IPHC adopted an Area 2B combined sport and commercial catch limit of 7,650,000 pounds that was allocated to the user groups by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) (Table 2). An additional 248,000 pounds was added to include the projected commercial wastage from halibut over 26 inches, resulting in a total catch limit of 7,898,000 pounds. The commercial fleet allocation of 88% of the total catch limit 6,950,240 pounds) was reduced by 248,000 pounds to account for wastage, resulting in an allocation of 6,702,240 pounds. In 2011, additional adjustments were made by DFO which included pounds available from the underage/overage plan, pounds leased to sport sector in experimental fishing program, and quota held by DFO for First Nations through a relinquishment process. The sport fishery total catch of 1,220,000 pounds exceeded the 947,800-pound allocation and is discussed in Williams (2011); the commercial fishery is discussed below. The total Area 2B catch of 7.7 million pounds was within 1% of the combined total catch limit (7.65 million pounds).
Area 2B
Each vessel was allocated a fixed poundage of halibut, or an IVQ, as calculated by DFO. In 1991, when the halibut IVQ program was implemented, 435 vessels received IVQs. Each initial IVQ was split into two shares called blocks. Numerous changes have been made since then, including first allowing temporary block transfers (1993) and then permanent block and IVQ transfers (1999). Since 1999, the number of active vessels with halibut licenses (L licenses), and First Nations communal commercial licenses (FL licenses), has decreased from a high of 257 (in 1999) to a low of 148 (in 2011). However, halibut was landed from a total of 217 active licenses in 2011, sixty-nine of which were from other fisheries.
The Groundfish Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) has been in effect in British Columbia since 2006. The IFMP, initially a three-year pilot program, was implemented to meet conservation needs, including addressing rockfish conservation concerns and improving catch monitoring. The IFMP was reviewed and approved by DFO in January 2010. The IFMP includes quota shares for all hook and line groundfish fisheries, transferability with limits between license holders, 100% at-sea and dockside monitoring, and vessel accountability for all catch, both landed and discarded. There is 100% monitoring through logbook recordings, video camera coverage, and dockside coverage.
The commercial catch of 6,480,000 pounds for Area 2B was 3% under the catch limit.
March and August were the busiest months for poundage delivered in British Columbia with approximately 16% of the catch during each month. Average landing dates in British Columbia occurred later this year as 49% of the Area 2B catch was landed by the end of May in 2010, and only 38% was landed by the end of May in 2011.
The landing of live halibut from Area 2B was legally allowed by DFO and resulted in a total landing weight of 1,026 pounds, a new low for landings of live halibut since live landings began in 1999. Live fish landings have ranged from a high of 103,000 pounds in 1999 to a low of 1,026 pounds in 2011.
Table 2. The 2011 Area 2B catch limits as allocated by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans and estimated catches (thousands of pounds, net weight).
Fishery
| Allocation
| Catch Estimate[SUP]1[/SUP]
|
Commercial fishery
Sport fishery2
| 6,702.2
947.8
| 6,480.0
1,220.0
|
Total allocation/catch
| 7,650.0
| 7,700.0
|
IPHC research catch
| | 80.0
|
Total
| 7,650.0[SUP]3[/SUP]
| 7,780.0
|
1 Preliminary
2 An experimental permit program was implemented in 2011 which allowed sport operators to lease quota from commercial operators. Details on the amount leased were not available at time of writing.
3 Adjustments totaling -51,687 pounds were made to the commercial fishery catch limit which included carryover from the previous year’s underage/overage plan and quota held by DFO for First Nations through relinquishment processes.
Table 3. Commercial catch (including IPHC research catch) and catch limits of Pacific halibut (in thousands of pounds, net weight) by IPHC regulatory area, 2001 - 2011.
[TABLE="width: 704"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"]Regulatory
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Area
[/TD]
[TD]2002
[/TD]
[TD]2003
[/TD]
[TD]2004
[/TD]
[TD]2005
[/TD]
[TD]2006
[/TD]
[TD]2007
[/TD]
[TD]2008
[/TD]
[TD]2009
[/TD]
[TD]20102
[/TD]
[TD]20113
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2B
[/TD]
[TD]12,074
[/TD]
[TD]11,789
[/TD]
[TD]12,162
[/TD]
[TD]12,331
[/TD]
[TD]12,005
[/TD]
[TD]9,772
[/TD]
[TD]7,756
[/TD]
[TD]6,637
[/TD]
[TD]6,729
[/TD]
[TD]6,560
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"]Commercial Catch1
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Area
[/TD]
[TD]2002
[/TD]
[TD]2003
[/TD]
[TD]2004
[/TD]
[TD]2005
[/TD]
[TD]2006
[/TD]
[TD]2007
[/TD]
[TD]2008
[/TD]
[TD]2009
[/TD]
[TD]2010
[/TD]
[TD]2011
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2B
[/TD]
[TD]11,750
[/TD]
[TD]11,750
[/TD]
[TD]12,141
[/TD]
[TD]11,658
[/TD]
[TD]11,631
[/TD]
[TD]10,089.4
[/TD]
[TD]7,918
[/TD]
[TD]6,711.6
[/TD]
[TD]6,598.6
[/TD]
[TD]6,702
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
FYI… If Don Staniford can raise $100,000 for his legal fees, so can you! Fees are based on the firm’s reputation and hours once the clock starts and a good firm keeps track and can account for every minute charged (e.g. research and discovery, etc, etc, etc.) It should be closer to $100,000. A more expensive firm, maybe $200,000. You can also ask and recover legal fees and costs, in addition to damages. Think about it, there are 300,000 anglers who should be supporting this action.
You can keep writing all the letters you want. Keep having those “town meetings.” Keep believing, thinking, and saying whatever. Keep playing those DFO games; which btw, they are masters. Or, just realize the only way these issues will get resolved is by going through Court. Sorry, but anything and everything like this, the only way it ever gets resolved in Canada (or the U.S.) is by going through the courts.
I have been to court. My advice is find the BEST, most well known law firm you can. Ask if they will accept their fees from the settlement. I have done that twice and that is a sure sign you have a winning case. I would also try to figure out an angle on how to get Ecojustice involved. If you can get them evolved, I’d say you will be a winner as soon as the suit is filed and before any notices are even served!
http://www.ecojustice.ca/
Have fun in Supreme Court. It really isn’t that bad, just time consuming. J