ThanksThere are 2 regulatory tools we have to manage the halibut fishery. A Condition of License (CoL), and Daily/possession/annual limits. The CoL has to be written onto your license, and once on there cannot be changed. The only flexibility we have is to use a tool called a Variation Order (VO), which can be used to vary or amend only daily/possession limits which are already written into the BC Sport Fishing Regulations.
So against that background....the CoL for April 1, 2021 is actually a choice of either 1 fish under 90 cm per day with a possession of 2 per trip....or a choice to retain 1 fish under 133cm with 1 in possession. NOTE - under means 89.9 cm or 132.9 cm...not 90 and 133. Under is the operative word.
Going into the season, the SFAB requested DFO use a Variation Order (VO) to amend the CoL to allow the daily limit to be varied up to 2 on the under 90 cm fish. That allows anglers to obtain their daily and possession limit in one day provided they retain only fish under the 90 cm limit. It doesn't mean people can have 2 under 90 cm and then go out next day for another under 133 cm.
Not to complicate further, but the SFAB then asked if we could go to the IPHC to make a request to allow us to use a Variation Order to increase the daily limit to 3 IF we noted in-season that our catch data tracking demonstrated we were likely tracking to end the season under our available TAC. As a tool, we could use the VO mid-season once we had enough data to adjust the daily limit either up to 3 under 90 cm, or reduce it to 1 from 2 if catch and effort was stronger than forecast. The reason for requirement to go to the IPHC is under the international agreement between Canada and the US, the recreational regulation is a maximum of 2 daily, with 3 in possession...thus the request at IPHC for ability to amend.
Hope that helps. I realize this sounds complicated. Many good folks both in DFO and SFAB working hard to find innovative ways to use all the regulatory tools we have to create as much flexibility in a year where Covid-19 has made it unbelievable difficult to predict effort and catch.
Roger, noted and will be corrected.Its gota be a typo error, I'd expect another email to rectify. If the possession limits are same as daily why not just say that.
Yupis it true the anual limit was increased from 6-10 ?
Apparently, that’s what I was missing...Roger, noted and will be corrected.
Roger, SFAB motion passed at Main Board supporting moving annual limit from 6 to 10. From a data perspective there really isn't a significant impact to how much TAC is used or retained if we move annual limit to 10...and, there is a smaller age class cohort that will be increasingly contributing to the fishery from the 2011/12 brood years. The larger fish are slowly aging out of the biomass. In some areas the fish from this larger recruitment are now entering the size class where they will begin contributing to our catch. So the thinking being we want to create opportunity to fish those stocks which will begin contributing more significantly to the fishery as time progresses.Apparently, that’s what I was missing...
Newf's correct!!So which is it?
I could not find the final notice. Just the crap I quoted above.
I thought it was as Scott noted but have been told by others it’s as Newf noted.
so I looked on DFO Site and can’t clarify.
That's not something that I hear everyday. Just ask my wife. LOLNewf's correct!!
I tried to attached the link for you but couldn't get it to work. Just type in and search FN0296 and you will get the notice as shown below.. This was the latest notice that I had received.So which is it?
I could not find the final notice. Just the crap I quoted above.
I thought it was as Scott noted but have been told by others it’s as Newf noted.
so I looked on DFO Site and can’t clarify.
That's the way I read it Scott.So the old one per day is gone ?
the daily and possession limit is the same ?