Halibut closed until 28th Feb?

[wolf]

You know this REALLY PISSES Me off amazing how fast they can change something in a blink of a eye but to give you an honest answer it takes the FU#KEN months to even consider it, WRong wording my A$$ these are educated people is it not????? and they cant even complile a press statement RIGHT!!!!!!!!!! MY fu**KEN GOD ARE WE EVER IN TROUBLE IF WE HAVE THEM MANAGING OUR FISHERY.

 

[Deewar25]

You know this REALLY PISSES Me off amazing how fast they can change something in a blink of a eye but to give you an honest answer it takes the FU#KEN months to even consider it, WRong wording my A$$ these are educated people is it not????? and they cant even complile a press statement RIGHT!!!!!!!!!! MY fu**KEN GOD ARE WE EVER IN TROUBLE IF WE HAVE THEM MANAGING OUR FISHERY.

Are you referring to the 'notice' that is under that date as referred to by oldblackdog? I don't think that was a mistake - that is the old closure notice as we are still under a closure, and they just updated the 'until' line above it. I assume once they were to issue an opening, THEN they would proceed with a new notice. Hopefully something becomes of derby looking into it, but I don't see the site 'hacked', so it got put up there by someone in the know. Sucks as I actually had plans to skip work and get out there on the 1st as well!

 

[hooktender68]

Dont laugh guys! It is only a matter of time, hopefully before guiding gets going full swing. Ottawa is stunned but not that much. There is three large user groups, not two. 12+88+?=100........I do not think so. At the end of last season Natives were given, from the band legal permits to long line bottom fish. It was at that time, being negotiated whether this season would entail the sale of the caught fish. Just like sockeye in the Somass. I personally aint for or against it, I just figure, before you can begin to look for a solution, you have to have all the stuff on the table. Why is 12 rec guys and 88 quota com guys wasting time looking for an answer? All the hard work finds an answer? then what? the third pary speaks up and we start again? Summer will be here! It all looks ......I dont know what........

 

[Paul Pudwell]

Wrote my letter....just can't wait to fish some Hali again.....

 

[Derby]

Looks like DFO is trying to buy some time to make a decision with them extending the Halibut closer to Feb.28th.

Need to ramp up and send even more letters or resend what you sent already-Send more mail

 

[Rockfish]

Dont laugh guys! It is only a matter of time, hopefully before guiding gets going full swing. Ottawa is stunned but not that much. There is three large user groups, not two. 12+88+?=100........I do not think so. At the end of last season Natives were given, from the band legal permits to long line bottom fish. It was at that time, being negotiated whether this season would entail the sale of the caught fish. Just like sockeye in the Somass. I personally aint for or against it, I just figure, before you can begin to look for a solution, you have to have all the stuff on the table. Why is 12 rec guys and 88 quota com guys wasting time looking for an answer? All the hard work finds an answer? then what? the third pary speaks up and we start again? Summer will be here! It all looks ......I dont know what........

I don’t think they are as stunned as they are going to be if they don’t resolve the halibut allocation inequity fairly. This is quickly becoming a social movement about the rights of ordinary Canadians to go out and catch a fish period. Big commercial interests and corporations should never be permitted to monopolize a public resource to the determent of the common good. It is not just about halibut or even tidal water recreational fishing and certainly not about conservation. I understand that already sporting and recreational fishing organizations across the country are sending letters of support and they have large membership lists. There are 300,000. Recreational salt water anglers in BC and many more who fresh water fish, not to mention their families and friends. Then there are the huge number of business that make money off the recreational fishery from retailers, manufactures, hotels, restaurants, marinas, truck dealers, insurance agents, and other parts of the tourism industry, and we have not even really begun to tap them for support. There has been 10 years of bad policy and decisions out of DFO and the Federal Government which have negatively impacted the resource and recreational fishing. Sure they play the consultation game, they just ignore us. They have finally woken the sleeping giant and filled it with resolve and in a way I am surprised it was halibut that was the tipping point. So if they are foolish enough to offer some minor meaningless concession and not fairly and adequately resolve the halibut allocation issue longer term, the scope of this political fight will expand and go on for years. I suspect there will be a federal election soon and many of the ridings will be won by a relatively few votes.

Hooktender68, you raised the issue of First Nations Halibut fishing. I understand that the federal government has purchased back commercial quota for them, so that may not be as big an issue as you foresee.

 

[reelfast]

you folks need to watch yur backs. in 1974 a federal judge named Boldt 'gave' the tribes in WA 50% of the allocation for EVERYTHING. unfortunately, since these folks consider themselves 'soverign nations' there is no record keeping so no one really knows just how many of EVERYTHING they actually harvest and sell for a profit. if your first nations get stung, you had better stay alert as the precident has already been set down this way.

 

[Derby]

Yes- most likely there will be a election coming soon and you all should be reminding your MP & Ottawa that you have the power with that vote. You can decided if they have a job or not.

 

[chris73]

Keep up the pressure guys. If we let up now then that little opportunity we may have to change things is lost.

 

[newfie boy]

rockfish is correct focus on the upcoming election and keep up the letters and emails to your elected officials. pressure pressure by 300000 fishermen will make for change. please particapate now!!!

 

[Gypseas]

Send an e to the man himself as well,

http://pm.gc.ca/eng/contact.asp?featureId=10

 

[Silver Streak]

Here are some key excerpts from the fisheries act;

Aboriginal Fishing Rights - Section 35(1) Of The Constitution Act, 1982
Section 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982 recognizes and affirms the existing aboriginal
(non-treaty) and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada. This provision has
been given a broad and liberal interpretation by the courts. In applying section 35(1), the
courts have indicated that the food fishing rights of the aboriginal peoples have priority
over other uses of the resource. Such rights are subject only to its reasonable regulation.

The practice which was induced and driven by European influences does not qualify for protection and priority as an aboriginal right.

source; http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/282791.pdf

The IPHC catch reports show an Area 2B (British Columbia) native halibut catch of 405,000 lb.
This is made up of FSC communal licence allocations and treaty settlements. Apparently DFO
has purchased commercial quota and re-allocated it to the natives. Is it not similarly possible
for DFO to do the same for us?

 

[Ding Dong!]

The IPHC catch reports show an Area 2B (British Columbia) native halibut catch of 405,000 lb.
This is made up of FSC communal licence allocations and treaty settlements. Apparently DFO
has purchased commercial quota and re-allocated it to the natives. Is it not similarly possible
for DFO to do the same for us?

I may not explain this correctly, it's best that you do your own reading to get it straight, but I'll try.

In applying section 35(1), the courts have indicated that the food fishing rights of the aboriginal peoples have priority over other uses of the resource. Such rights are subject only to its reasonable regulation.

This means that after conservation measures have been met, FN has a constitutional right of access to the resource for food and ceremonial purposes before any other uses of the resource. Under Magna Carta, the court has ruled that the fish in the sea belong to the people, which is a common law. The fisheries act is simply part and parcel to commerce and is related to property and has been designed in order to control or protect. The fisheries act or any other act are words, terms and phrases given the force of law and may or may not fit within your rights as outlined under common rule.

The participants who fish under license are bound by the fisheries act. It does not matter what sector you are from, if you fish under license, you are participating in a form of commerce, and such you are ruled by acts with the force of law.

FN are exercising there common rights under Magna Carta.

 

[Lipripper]

I am really not trying to be an a$$ or stir the pot...... but I pose a question for my insight.
How much halibut did the FN use for food and ceremonial purposes before the Europeans?.... which would have wrote the magna carta?

 

[Ding Dong!]

I am really not trying to be an a$$ or stir the pot...... but I pose a question for my insight.
How much halibut did the FN use for food and ceremonial purposes before the Europeans?.... which would have wrote the magna carta?

At this point I think the question is kind of a moot point, however I won't judge that, mainly because the following part of the fisheries act is valid and can be maintained with force. "Such rights are subject only to its reasonable regulation." I don't consider the FN TAC for halibut to be unreasonable considering Canada is using 100% of the balance for it's own purposes.

 

[reelfast]

what was the total 2B allocation for this past year?

 

[cuttlefish]

http://flatfishissues.blogspot.com/2010/01/international-pacific-halibut.html
Hope this answers your question.

 

[Lipripper]

At this point I think the question is kind of a moot point

A moot point it was..... I just asked as I thought you might have some insight for me..... It really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. I was just wondering is all

 

[Rockfish]

The IPHC catch reports show an Area 2B (British Columbia) native halibut catch of 405,000 lb.
This is made up of FSC communal licence allocations and treaty settlements. Apparently DFO
has purchased commercial quota and re-allocated it to the natives. Is it not similarly possible
for DFO to do the same for us?

It was Govt/ DFO that created this nightmare of a quota system and completely unfair allocation of the halibut fishery; of course they can purchase some of it back for the recreational fishery. There is the precedent of the recent purchase for the First Nations sector you refer to and recently I read they are buying lobster quota to reduce the size of the lobster fishery back east. This would be the easiest mechanism by which they could resolve the issue and extract themselves from this political minefield. The alternative is to dismantle the Welfare for Millionaires Quota System and I suspect they do not want to go there.

 

[Little Hawk]

I take issue with the idea that our Government - spending OUR money - has to 'buy back' our fish when they are ours in the first place. Watch what they do to the price of a fishing license if they 'buy-quota' on our behalf. After conservation and FN needs are met, a minor tweaking of the quota is all that's required here. I like Rockfish's acronym 'Millionaires Quota System' (MQS). We should hold on to that one as it aptly describes what the DFO has done with our fish.

Chris: I would argue that there is always opportunity for change if and when enough people wake-up to fact they are getting stepped on. Us fishers' are mostly an agreeable and peaceful bunch who only want opportunity to fish with a good prospect for a catch. When enough of us finally wake up to the fact that these Bozo's in Ottawa could care less about our sacred pastime and would rather have us all eating Viking farm-fish, there will be A GARGANTUAN QUAKE EMANATING FROM THE WEST COAST THE LIKES OF WHICH OTTAWA HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED!

Organization is key here! I'm throwing in with the Coalition. United we are a force to be reckoned with.