completely agree with most comments posted. This is a terrible decision for recreational anglers. From a political perspective shea is brilliant, think about it - she divides the recreational anglers by enticing guides who fear not having the ability to run their charters into buying a "commercial" halibut license...which in effect now creates another private ownership of a public resource and yet another death nail into the coffin of recreational angling. Let's not forget the system in place on the east coast of canada...there is no public fishery. You can't go get a fishing licence and catch a fish...that is owned by the commercial sector. That's right, there is no recreational fishery for most species of fish. This is the real long term agenda for the west coast. Divide, conquer and create a fishery that can be managed off the side of a desk with electronic catch monitoring.
There isn't much reliable detailed information out from dfo as to how this scheme will work, so perhaps we should all the facts first, then decide on action...but for now i concur with nog....no one should touch one of those licenses with a 10 foot pole or you risk killing your future as a recreational angler.