so how much did you have to pay for the halibut(or salmon) you and your guests harvest that you have built your business around, and how much are your fees to access that each year? oh yeah ZERO.... I would think the true FREE ride is the lodge and charter sector that is and has been using close to 80%(came from the province rep)of the recreational halibut harvest to run their businesses.
it's about time we put the lodges and charters in the commercial side of the equation. Then there would be more than enough fish to increase our limits for the average rec angler.
Give your head a firm shake!
True that the lodges and the independent guides
facilitate a large portion of the recreational catch. Not surprising, this is exactly what they do. And btw
"facilitate" is absolutely the correct word. As I have noted previously, they do not take sport caught halibut themselves, rather facilitate and accommodate anglers so that these anglers can harvest
their own fish. Given the expenses related to owning and operating a safe, reliable sea-worthy craft, and the years of experience it takes to ensure the wander out there is a
SAFE one, it isn't tough to understand why a great many choose to go with the professionals.
And while the sheer numbers may look like a "
commercial operation" to you, let's face it, it is the Anglers who take the fish home at the end of the day. Any way you slice it, they are very much a part of the Recreational Sector on our waters.
Another point for you to consider: Who exactly stands up for and fights the hardest for the "average angler"? Certainly isn't the average Joe content to whine away on an internet Forum. It very much is the guides and lodge representatives that take the time and make themselves available time and time and time again. Wish even a quarter of the "average anglers" were so determined...
Nog