Clarifying some points and, what say you John?

Sushihunter

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http://www.canada.com/Clarifying+some+points+what+John/1383768/story.html

Clarifying some points and, what say you John?


Courier-Islander March 13, 2009

In response to Mr. Boyes letter of March 6th about halibut allocation, I'd like to make the following points:

The consultation facilitated by DFO with the recreational fishery, whether about this issue or any other, has always been with the Sport Fishing Advisory Board and not, as Mr. Boyes states, with representatives of the "commercial sports industry". By the SFAB terms of reference, the majority of participating individuals and organizations are not involved in the working side of the recreational fishery.

It may very well be that the "2003 policy" is working for the commercial sector. Indeed, I should be very surprised to learn otherwise given that government has guaranteed it 88% of a supposedly common property resource and the quota holders can generate economic benefit not only from the fish they harvest but also by selling or leasing the quota they were given for free by government.

However the "2003 policy" is not working for the recreational fishery, the activity via which the 99+% of Canadians that aren't commercial halibut fishermen are required to pursue if they want to catch halibut of their own. I've written it before and I'll repeat it here - despite disagreeing with the allocation policy and its prescription for a "market-based transfer mechanism" if the recreational fishery wants to exceed the 12% harvest cap, the SFAB has more than gone the extra mile in an effort to comply with this requirement. The quota "transfer mechanism" failed completely in 2008 when, despite having money to lease quota from the commercial sector, the recreational sector was unable to lease enough to prevent a two-month early closure of its season even though the commercial sector left half a million pounds of halibut uncaught in the water.

Readers of Mr. Boyes letter may be confused by his reference to a "cyclical decline" of area halibut stocks, which is an accurate assessment, followed by a later comment that there is currently a "conservation issue" with the same fish, which is an inaccurate description. If the latter point were true the International Pacific Halibut Commission would not be allowing Canada to harvest 7.63 million pounds of halibut in 2009.

While it is true because of the differing nature of the two fisheries that the recreational sector's halibut catch is not so precisely known as that of the commercial sector, to describe the former as "very loosely estimated" is untrue. In recent years the SFAB has worked closely with DFO and the IPHC to improve the recreational halibut catch assessment which, since the 2006 comprehensive coastwide survey conducted by J.O. Thomas, has been described as more than adequate for management purposes.

I'll refrain from commenting on the hyperbole contained in the last paragraph of Mr. Boyes letter describing the efforts of those who want to ensure that Canadians derive the maximum social and economic advantage from its halibut resource, but I'll repeat my earlier point that in 2009 the halibut allocation policy is costing BC coastal communities, including some in the Vancouver Island North riding, millions of dollars in forgone benefits.

In this space and elsewhere last month I publicly asked MP John Duncan to explain his support for this policy so that all his constituents might better understand his government's perspective on their behalf. Insofar as I am aware he has not responded as requested and so I am fast having to conclude that he either doesn't understand the issue of halibut allocation or he doesn't care to.

Jeremy Maynard.

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250
 
Good letter...

other than the tidbit about common property resource

Perhaps we should call it F/N and common property resource?

That would be totally acceptable.

Take only what you need.
 
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