Halibut Derby Catch Cards

Cut Plug

Well-Known Member
Hi:

For quite a few years now, those of us who have the less than enviable task of dealing with recreational fishery halibut management have been complaining to DFO that when overflights occur during the annual Halibut Derby in Juan de Fuca Strait it inflates the effort estimate for the entire month due to the increased number of boats on the water for the derby. This has the result of inflating the catch for the entire month (beyond the actual impact of the derby) which then ends up impacting our TAC in a negative way.

To help address this problem, DFO has partnered with the SFI this year to run a trial catch card program for the 2018 derby. The way it will work is similar to a guide log book. If you fill in and submit the catch card that is included in your ticket package, DFO can then subtract the effort and catch for that card from that days catch thereby removing it from the daily count. This will remove or at least significantly offset the expansion problem that inflates the monthly catch.

Participation is key in this program so we urge you all to take the 2 minutes to fill in the card. If you do, and then submit it you'll be placed in a separate draw that will take place on Tuesday for a complete Okuma halibut rod, reel and line combination that was generously donated by Proline Sports and the SFI! You don't need to catch a halibut to be entered in the draw. You can submit the cards at the weigh in at Island Outfitters, and in order to make it easier to for those who don't have a halibut to weigh in, the following locations have agreed to accept the cards so you don't have to drive as far: Pedder Bay Marina; Cheanuh Marina; Sooke Harbour Resort & Marina; Sunny Shores Marina (marina office, not the fuel dock); Esquimalt Anglers (in the mail box) and Oak Bay Marina. Thank you to all of these operations for your support!

So, now its up to you. We've been working on this for a while and DFO is now stepping up to the plate to see if we can fix it. Without your participation it won't work. Fill 'em in please!!!

Good luck in the derby, and lets hope Mother Nature lightens up a bit and give us all a decent shot to get out there.

CP
 
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