Halibut opening

Interesting quote by the fisheries minister today regarding "Canada's owner-operator policy means individual fishermen are required to fish their licences personally and reap the rewards."


Inshore fisheries addressed
The Liberals' changes also hope to protect the independent inshore commercial fishery.
Canada's owner-operator policy means individual fishermen are required to fish their licences personally and reap the rewards. The fleet-separation policy ensures corporations cannot both be harvester and processor.
But the Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it has been battling controlling agreements, which it says are an effort by companies and fishermen to get around those policies. Companies say the arrangements guarantee the supply they need to justify multimillion-dollar investments in facilities.





The newly announced proposals would enshrine "the social, economic and cultural factors" of fishing and promote independent licence holders, said LeBlanc.

I wonder if this means what I hope it means?? Is this the end of the "slipper skipper" Don't hold your breath!LOL
 
Interesting quote by the fisheries minister today regarding "Canada's owner-operator policy means individual fishermen are required to fish their licences personally and reap the rewards."


Inshore fisheries addressed
The Liberals' changes also hope to protect the independent inshore commercial fishery.
Canada's owner-operator policy means individual fishermen are required to fish their licences personally and reap the rewards. The fleet-separation policy ensures corporations cannot both be harvester and processor.
But the Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it has been battling controlling agreements, which it says are an effort by companies and fishermen to get around those policies. Companies say the arrangements guarantee the supply they need to justify multimillion-dollar investments in facilities.





The newly announced proposals would enshrine "the social, economic and cultural factors" of fishing and promote independent licence holders, said LeBlanc.

Do you have a link to this source of this quote ?
 
I am heartsick over this whole mess as you probably are already aware and I was complaining to my wife over how unfair the whole process was. How 435 people were gifted 85%of the resource and most of rhem do not even fish the quota but in fact lease it to other fisherman. I made the remark that if the common people knew we wouldn't come across as just a whinny bunch of disgruntled fisher-people. Her idea!!! Go on social media!! That is one thing the PM and politicians fear and watch! So guys take the time to write well reasoned blogs and post it on your facebook page and if you can't write well then share any that come your way thanks-lets hold some feet to the fire!!

Yes this is a very good idea.
My newphews are in their early 20's they love to fish but have no idea about 15/85 allocation issues. But they do spend a lot of time on different social media tools. A very clear, simplified letter that does not slander DFO or the comercial sector but educates people about the unfair allocation process that the sport fishing sector has been dealt.

1 Economic benefit sport vs comercial caught
2 social benifits
3 quota history (when,how was comercial fleet given common resources)

That's Just a few ideas
 
Interesting quote by the fisheries minister today regarding "Canada's owner-operator policy means individual fishermen are required to fish their licences personally and reap the rewards."


Inshore fisheries addressed
The Liberals' changes also hope to protect the independent inshore commercial fishery.
Canada's owner-operator policy means individual fishermen are required to fish their licences personally and reap the rewards. The fleet-separation policy ensures corporations cannot both be harvester and processor.
But the Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it has been battling controlling agreements, which it says are an effort by companies and fishermen to get around those policies. Companies say the arrangements guarantee the supply they need to justify multimillion-dollar investments in facilities.





The newly announced proposals would enshrine "the social, economic and cultural factors" of fishing and promote independent licence holders, said LeBlanc.

This is the most promising news yet!
 
I like it. Getting ideas going to get our fair share!! That has to be the #1 priority

Before everyone gets to exicited let’s find out if this only is effecting the East Coast ?

As noted by others , the East Coast fishery is in no way like the West Coast.

This could have nothing to do with us here!
 
Ok, so let me ask you this: how are you going to help out rectifying this situation, TipsUp?
@calmsea...
I have written letters in the past and attended local meetings where I can.
Do you have suggestions on how I can help?

Aside from that I will continue to bring up the Allocation Issue on threads like this to be sure it is kept top of mind and remind people that this is an ALLOCATION ISSUE.
Many of these threads become about what people see as "poor decisions" made on our behalf when the hard working volunteers on these boards are just trying to do their best with the small crappy allocation we have been given in the short time frame they are given.

Think of all of the money and resources that have been spent on creating and managing this Experimental Transfer of Quota!
An experiment in privatizing a resource.
You think the Slipper Skippers are paying for any part of this?
That money should be put towards conservation efforts, stock restoration, enforcement and other projects that are Important to our Fishery.
Not to supporting the income and retirement of a few hundred exfishermen.

I'd be happy to pay for a halibut stamp for example but not if my money is going to be spent on programs like this.

Tips
 
I like it. Getting ideas going to get our fair share!! That has to be the #1 priority

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter isn't going to solve issue sorry to say. You need to lobby MP and form your new group like you mentioned you were going to. From experience government tends to ignore a lot of social media as noise. It is great for getting attention but you have to solve these issues face to face with key people in government.


Also you may want to join your guide association WCGA. Just suggestions since you seem eager to help and put your money to the cause. Like I said looking forward to seeing if you can get that group formed up there.
 
Before everyone gets to exicited let’s find out if this only is effecting the East Coast ?

As noted by others , the East Coast fishery is in no way like the West Coast.

This could have nothing to do with us here!
I was thinking that myself OBD, but at least if nothing else a precedent has been set. Much easier to argue the case that if its good for the East,why not the West?
 
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter isn't going to solve issue sorry to say. You need to lobby MP and form your new group like you mentioned you were going to. From experience government tends to ignore a lot of social media as noise. It is great for getting attention but you have to solve these issues face to face with key people in government.


Also you may want to join your guide association WCGA. Just suggestions since you seem eager to help and put your money to the cause. Like I said looking forward to seeing if you can get that group formed up there.
I don't know, I wouldn't sell the Internet short. Facebook,Instagram and Twitter are where a lot of young folk get their news. Where grass roots organizations get their messages out to the masses and where the Mr. Selfies get their electoral base. Not saying it's necessarily the whole answer, but it sure can't hurt.
 
Agreed. Our prov and fed government at the moment govern by popular opinion not science as seen in several cases so while not the answer should be a pillar of a plan. Some people don’t see the big picture though...
 
Having just had a face to face with decision makers I know that works.
 
Look at the government to the south of us. That fella runs his government through his twitter account.
Social media can get quick traction out to the masses you can hope that a percentage care enough to continue to pay attention.
That's why the message has to be clean and clear no gimmicks.
 
This is an allocation problem, pure and simple. The ongoing needs of the rec fishery to be able to run a quality fishery cannot be met with the 15%. The outlook for 2019 is for another significant reduction in TAC. If you thought this season was a challenge, just wait. Our available choices will start looking more and more like the Washington State fishery where they fight over which day to place their 4 single day opportunities on. We could get into debates over weekends or days of the week with the best tides more quickly than you imagine.

If you truly care about your opportunity and access to this fishery, now is the time to start doing something to contribute your time, talents and hard cold cash. We have to re-fire the political engine - after all, 2019 has a Federal Election in it! Just saying, time to get out from behind computer screens and where ever possible get involved.
 
Here's something you can do right away to make a difference....LOG BOOKS. Every single pound of halibut TAC Counts!

An example...because it is fresh in my mind from the SFAB GFSH Working Group meeting Friday...I keep hearing from guys in Area 19 how important March fishery is to them. I get that. An impassioned plea about how there are no halibut in other months like June - August because the doggies show up. Great, I believe you...BUT... the data does not...DFO does not.

I will state up front, there are flaws in our catch monitoring methodology - I could argue all day long about how it could be improved, but the Department's catch monitoring process will not change anytime soon...it is what it is for now.

So...can anyone explain why June has 900 fish or 26,738 pounds of halibut caught in Area 19, when everyone tells me they aren't fishing halibut then? Interesting...how could this be? Put in proper perspective this one month accounts for all the halibut TAC needed to run the months of Feb to April (24,488 pounds). One month...WTF?

A closer look - because the pattern of catch does not make sense to me:

Feb = 469 fish 12,368 pounds
Mar = 138 fish 3,674 pounds
Apr = 324 fish 8,446 pounds
May = 409 fish 13,303 pounds
Jun = 900 fish 26,738 pounds
Jul = 257 fish 8,259 pounds
Aug = 472 fish 14,667 pounds
Sep = 149 fish 3,684 pounds (Only 6 Days fishing)

BTW - from the numbers, March is not as productive as September, and June is the Prime Month.

So, how can this be when everyone says they can't catch hali in June, July, August in Area 19??

I think I know why. Very few guides are completing log books. So every time the DFO plane does an over-flight they are counted as fishing hali. When the creel sampler comes up to the dock, they zero in on the cleaning tables. They never talk to the guy who has a bad day and parks his boat and quietly walks away. The catch per unit of effort (CPUE) becomes skewed, so that any halibut landed and observed form part of a biassed estimate. See where this is going!!

If guides in Area 19 want more TAC, more opportunity, they need to accurately record their catch in a log book, and turn it in. Your catch data will form part of the estimate, and the over-flight data will delete your boat from the skewed biassed catch estimate. That's how it works - they deduct log book trips from over-flight observations.

Shazam - our TAC use will go down. Until we step up and do a better job on log books, we will continue to have over-estimation of our halibut catch. Get your log book, complete accurate records, properly measure each halibut because a few cm is about 70,000 pounds. It all adds up. Every pound counts.

We all have a duty to take a look in the mirror, and see that perhaps we too are part of the problem.

Sorry to use the Area 19 example, but it was the one that stood out the easiest because everyone is telling us they don't catch hali in Area 19 in the month of June. Something does not add up, and it points in my mind to poor catch reporting practices within the rec community.

I strongly suspect this happens everywhere, and explains to some extent why "Huston we have a problem." Imagine a world where we had accurate catch reporting, and how far our TAC use would go down if everyone stepped up.

Game on.
 
This is an allocation problem, pure and simple. The ongoing needs of the rec fishery to be able to run a quality fishery cannot be met with the 15%. The outlook for 2019 is for another significant reduction in TAC. If you thought this season was a challenge, just wait. Our available choices will start looking more and more like the Washington State fishery where they fight over which day to place their 4 single day opportunities on. We could get into debates over weekends or days of the week with the best tides more quickly than you imagine.

If you truly care about your opportunity and access to this fishery, now is the time to start doing something to contribute your time, talents and hard cold cash. We have to re-fire the political engine - after all, 2019 has a Federal Election in it! Just saying, time to get out from behind computer screens and where ever possible get involved.

This is all fine and good to say. Many of us agree fully. Change need to happen.

Like I said earlier I think Unless the likes of SFI, BCWF,SVIAC come together and steer the ship, most average joe anglers really don’t know how to best contribute effort. As far as money goes, people Like to know what their donations is going to. And who to make it to.
We had so many people get involved last time because we had that catalyst to bring us Together and direct the effort.

I also agree that public awareness to the entire scam of the ITQ and allocation is paramount to gaining support. Unless maybe there is an entirely different plan in play? Either way most people want a focused direction to put their time and money.

My thoughts: Ray
 
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