Sushihunter
Active Member
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_north/northislandgazette/news/112278429.html
Halibut quotas cause anglers concern
By Teresa Bird - North Island Gazette
Published: December 23, 2010 1:00 AM
Sport fishermen fear they won’t be able to angle for halibut if allocations remain as they are.
“In 2011 there is a possibility of the sport fishery shutting down early,” said Graeme Bull of the Sport Fishing Advisory Board for the North Island.
On the B.C. coast, 12 per cent of the halibut quota is allocated to sport fishing under the 2003 Thibault Allocation Policy. The remaining 88 per cent is allocated to commercial fishing.
“It is generally agreed based on significant improvements in recreational fishery catch accounting methods over recent years that the recreational catch was underestimated at this time, and that the 12 per cent allocation allowed for little to no growth,” said a document titled Halibut 101 and provided to the Gazette by Bull.
If the recreational fishery is restricted to its current 12 per cent allocation in 2011 and based on similar catch rates to 2010, the season could open in February but close as early as July 15, during prime fishing season.
The recreational fishery was closed in-season both in 2008 and 2010, impacting lodges, charters, tackle stores, marinas, campgrounds and other service providers to the recreational fishery. Sports fishermen fear the message that B.C. is closed to halibut fishing will hurt the tourism industry and particularly impact coastal communities such as those on the North Island.
Frustrating for sport fishermen is that the 88 per cent allocated to commercial fishermen is not being fully utilized.
In 1991 the Department of Fisheries and Oceans gifted halibut quotas to 435 halibut fishermen based on their catch history. The move was designed to remove safety concerns that arose from competitive derby-style fisheries and to stabilize the supply of halibut to market.
But increasingly those 435 quota holders don’t fish their own boats, choosing instead to lease their quota holdings to other fishermen for a premium price.
“Of the original 435 quota holders in 1991, there are less than 150 active commercial fishermen in 2010 ...” said the Halibut 101 document.
“So what we’ll see is no sport fishery but a commercial fishery that isn’t taking their quota,” said Bull.
The solution being proposed by sport fishing advisory boards on Vancouver Island is a “fixed number approach” that would calculate the anticipated catch pre-season based on the previous years effort and catch trends and allow for slight growth. If the number is overestimated, surplus fish would be released to the commercial sector in September.
Sport fishing groups are calling on sport fishermen to rally behind this solution by writing letters to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and local members of parliament.
Halibut quotas cause anglers concern
By Teresa Bird - North Island Gazette
Published: December 23, 2010 1:00 AM
Sport fishermen fear they won’t be able to angle for halibut if allocations remain as they are.
“In 2011 there is a possibility of the sport fishery shutting down early,” said Graeme Bull of the Sport Fishing Advisory Board for the North Island.
On the B.C. coast, 12 per cent of the halibut quota is allocated to sport fishing under the 2003 Thibault Allocation Policy. The remaining 88 per cent is allocated to commercial fishing.
“It is generally agreed based on significant improvements in recreational fishery catch accounting methods over recent years that the recreational catch was underestimated at this time, and that the 12 per cent allocation allowed for little to no growth,” said a document titled Halibut 101 and provided to the Gazette by Bull.
If the recreational fishery is restricted to its current 12 per cent allocation in 2011 and based on similar catch rates to 2010, the season could open in February but close as early as July 15, during prime fishing season.
The recreational fishery was closed in-season both in 2008 and 2010, impacting lodges, charters, tackle stores, marinas, campgrounds and other service providers to the recreational fishery. Sports fishermen fear the message that B.C. is closed to halibut fishing will hurt the tourism industry and particularly impact coastal communities such as those on the North Island.
Frustrating for sport fishermen is that the 88 per cent allocated to commercial fishermen is not being fully utilized.
In 1991 the Department of Fisheries and Oceans gifted halibut quotas to 435 halibut fishermen based on their catch history. The move was designed to remove safety concerns that arose from competitive derby-style fisheries and to stabilize the supply of halibut to market.
But increasingly those 435 quota holders don’t fish their own boats, choosing instead to lease their quota holdings to other fishermen for a premium price.
“Of the original 435 quota holders in 1991, there are less than 150 active commercial fishermen in 2010 ...” said the Halibut 101 document.
“So what we’ll see is no sport fishery but a commercial fishery that isn’t taking their quota,” said Bull.
The solution being proposed by sport fishing advisory boards on Vancouver Island is a “fixed number approach” that would calculate the anticipated catch pre-season based on the previous years effort and catch trends and allow for slight growth. If the number is overestimated, surplus fish would be released to the commercial sector in September.
Sport fishing groups are calling on sport fishermen to rally behind this solution by writing letters to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and local members of parliament.
