DFO Wants your input before Making Rec. Halibut Quotas Permanent!!!

[OldBlackDog]

The question was asked at the sfac meeting and the answer from DFO was it was going to happen and that was that.
Political is the only way things will change. Kamp is the one to get on about anything regarding DFO.

 

[GDW]

Man o man a bunch of years ago the rec sector had this big bank account because we sold extra quota from previous years to commercial fishermen. The FIRST time the rec season was going to be shortened because we used up our quota the society drained the bank account to buy quota from commercials to extend the rec season and keep it at 2 per day.

That set a precedent and now we are all ******. That money should NEVER have gone back to the commercials it should have been used to lobby and/or lawyer up to fight the 88/12 we used to have. Thank the people who chose then to buy from commercials to keep a greedy feb1 - dec 31 2/3 season for this mess. The commercials took that idea and ran with it. Can't blame them can you?

 

[searun]

The question was asked at the sfac meeting and the answer from DFO was it was going to happen and that was that.
Political is the only way things will change. Kamp is the one to get on about anything regarding DFO.

Yep, have to agree it is starting to look like the only way forward is to make this political and if a few MP's lose their seats in the next election that might just drive home the message that our fishery is not up for sale.

The other more obvious way to send a strong message is for every recreational angler, guide and lodge owner to not purchase any of this bs quota. Sadly however, a few guides have. Driven like most business people by the need to generate revenue. Fools economy - short term gain for long term pain. We have to stick together and do the right thing for the overall recreational fishery or risk losing sport fishing in B.C. as we know it today.

Pretty sad really when a few slipper skippers can be "puppeteers" with DFO and the rest of the Commercial fleet. The only ones who will benefit from this scam is of course....slipper skippers. This whole experimental system will only help to further cement the slipper skippers control over the entire fishery for both the commercial and recreational sectors. I would even go so far as to predict that within the next decade or so we will see fewer real family owned commercial halibut boats and further consolidation into the big company owned fleets until the little guys get pushed out. Happened in Europe and it will eventually happen here.

 

[lorneparker1]

These kinds of processes are a complete waste of time .I sent my letter in, but knew it wouldnt even be considered. Just another feel good process with the decisions already made. No different the the whole SFAB process.

Lorne

 

[phishbonk]

You guys still don't get it,DFO with their Native buy back now own 20% of commercial quota ,with another round this winter,are the biggest leasers in the game.Hello.....any body listening out there???

 

[searun]

You guys still don't get it,DFO with their Native buy back now own 20% of commercial quota ,with another round this winter,are the biggest leasers in the game.Hello.....any body listening out there???

More deflection attempts. Appears you guys aren't listening to the Rec community. We aren't interested in playing regardless of where the slipper skippers reside. The whole thing is BS. This hurts both commercial and recreational fishers. Time for us to band together and fight this. If we allow this transferrable quota system as it exists today to continue, the days of single family owned commercial vessel operators are indeed numbered.

 

[finaddict]

Here's my letter ( a little more "off-Colour" and pissed off), but f*ck it, I am sick and effing tired of this sh*t show that these clowns are putting on;

Dear Mr. Davis,

I am writing to you today to voice my extreme disgust that Fisheries and Oceans Canada is considering making this program permanent. While you have the responsibility to manage the crowns resources, you do not have the right to permanently assign quota to ANY user group. Please do the right thing and return the ownership of all quotas to the Crown where they legally belong and issue quota annually based on NEED and delivery of this quota to the Canadian people, not a select group of quota owner “slipper Skippers”.

I fish for Halibut but once or twice per year and yet my access continues to be further restricted as YOU and your department continue to mismanage my precious West Coast fisheries resources.

Sincerely

And DFO's response

Dear ----------,​

Thank you for your input on the halibut recreational quota transfer licence Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement (RIAS). DFO received numerous submissions from a variety of interests and is now in the process of reviewing the submissions. DFO will work on revising the RIAS based on the input received during the review period before submitting the regulatory proposal to Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, the branch of the federal government that normally prepares regulatory proposals for Ministerial approval. Please also note that there is further opportunity for review and input once formal preparation of the regulatory proposal is completed, which may take up to one to two years. DFO will work with all interested parties to ensure advance notice of this review opportunity.
​

Thank you again for taking the time to provide your input

 

[bcboy]

More deflection attempts. Appears you guys aren't listening to the Rec community. We aren't interested in playing regardless of where the slipper skippers reside. The whole thing is BS. This hurts both commercial and recreational fishers. Time for us to band together and fight this. If we allow this transferrable quota system as it exists today to continue, the days of single family owned commercial vessel operators are indeed numbered.

I think phishbonk has brought up a fairly valid point about the buy back program. I had a conversation a few months back with a guy that has attended a few "meetings" to do with fisheries. We got onto talking about the halibut situation and according to him, the government is looking to purchase hali quota for native bands as part of the treaty negotiations. He said with some quick math, each band is looking for 20000 to 30000 lbs and x the numer of bands equals more than the entire TAC.

 

[Osama Bin Hopper]

Man o man a bunch of years ago the rec sector had this big bank account because we sold extra quota from previous years to commercial fishermen. The FIRST time the rec season was going to be shortened because we used up our quota the society drained the bank account to buy quota from commercials to extend the rec season and keep it at 2 per day.

That set a precedent and now we are all ******. That money should NEVER have gone back to the commercials it should have been used to lobby and/or lawyer up to fight the 88/12 we used to have. Thank the people who chose then to buy from commercials to keep a greedy feb1 - dec 31 2/3 season for this mess. The commercials took that idea and ran with it. Can't blame them can you?

******' Bingo!!!

 

[Derby]

My understanding of that is there was a lot of strings attached to that money on its usuage...very complicated process.....

 

[searun]

I think phishbonk has brought up a fairly valid point about the buy back program. I had a conversation a few months back with a guy that has attended a few "meetings" to do with fisheries. We got onto talking about the halibut situation and according to him, the government is looking to purchase hali quota for native bands as part of the treaty negotiations. He said with some quick math, each band is looking for 20000 to 30000 lbs and x the numer of bands equals more than the entire TAC.

That might actually be a good thing, they would hire back the single family owned vessels to fish it for them. No secret this is what is going on. DFO has been on that train for a while now. The real issue is going to be getting the public ownership back into this fishery.

 

[Osama Bin Hopper]

That might actually be a good thing, they would hire back the single family owned vessels to fish it for them. No secret this is what is going on. DFO has been on that train for a while now. The real issue is going to be getting the public ownership back into this fishery.

Hell any of our boats could be hired to help scoop up that quota.

I'll do it if thats how it goes...

Have said no a couple times so far, but once the legalities are sorted, if thats the rules - hey who am I to disabide?!?

 

[bcboy]

That might actually be a good thing, they would hire back the single family owned vessels to fish it for them. No secret this is what is going on. DFO has been on that train for a while now. The real issue is going to be getting the public ownership back into this fishery.

Not sure where you are coming from ... in your first sentence you agree that it is a good thing that the government is buying back halibut quota and giving it to the natives...in your last sentence you say it is important to get public ownership back into the fishery. ??? If the goverment buys up all the available quota for the natives how much more quota do you think there will be for public ownership? zero?

 

[bcboy]

Hell any of our boats could be hired to help scoop up that quota.

I'll do it if thats how it goes...

Have said no a couple times so far, but once the legalities are sorted, if thats the rules - hey who am I to disabide?!?

You are absolutly right, you can lease it from the native bands for top dollar because thats what they get right now.

 

[Osama Bin Hopper]

You are absolutly right, you can lease it from the native bands for top dollar because thats what they get right now.

I dont think you understand me. Anyhow I'm sick of fighting about this. Its divided the group, I don't even know who's on who's side half of the time anymore so I guess I'll just do what's dictated. And I'll ******* tell you what. If thats what is dictated it will be great for a group ready to pounce but horrible for the average sportie!!

Lets hug!!

 

[phishbonk]

If i had some of my own quota i would think about charging people to go help me harvest it.They would get their one fish and any left over i sell to a company.Double dipping sounds good to me.Of course i would only tell DFO if i got pulled over so it's a win win in my eyes.

 

[Cut Plug]

If i had some of my own quota i would think about charging people to go help me harvest it.They would get their one fish and any left over i sell to a company.Double dipping sounds good to me.Of course i would only tell DFO if i got pulled over so it's a win win in my eyes.

BINGO!!!

Finally some truth from the commercial sector. Thats actually how this whole mess got started. During the Stanyer Process the commercial interests presented it as a proposal for a "market based transfer mechanism" but were clearly more interested in fishing for information as to how they could implement the east coast bluefin tuna model of having rec anglers pay to harvest fish that the commies actually end up selling anyway. Can't blame them, what a great win for the quota holder\skipper. Get someone to actually pay to do the work? HELL YA!!!

Halibut ain't tuna though and lets face it, aren't typically associated with the same type of fishery. Won't work unless a lot of meat is involved.

The stupidity kicked in when the DFO "leader" in the process, who had never once spent a day recreationally fishing for halibut, figured it would be a solution to the whole problem. Fast forward a few years and here we are. This really has been an excercise in the commercial sector giving advice to DFO as to what is best for the recreational sector and DFO choosing to take the advice of the commies over us. Not a very smart move on their part - landed them in court and cost the commies 3%. Hopefully a lesson has been learned.

The good news is, this scheme has already been soundly rejected by the vast majority of anglers and businesses in BC and many of them are responding to this RIAS proposal in very strong terms. Don't lose faith. It may take time, but it will get rejected. Even DFO isn't that stupid. Well, at least most of the time.

CP

 

[fish4all]

That's not entirely correct CP. the commercial position in both the Gordon and Stanier process that each group be managed to there respected allocations. Both sides agreed that DFO has created this mess so government should come up with $20 mill to buy up licences to increase the rec share. Exactly what is going on with Picfi for the Indians. It was only after treasury board rejected any funding that other options needed to be looked at.

 

[Cut Plug]

Sorry fish4all, I was personally at both sessions, and while you're partly correct you're not telling the whole story. Yes, the commercial sector did consistently state that all sectors should be managed to their respective allocations at both sessions, but the idea that individual and business rec fishery participants could lease quota directly from the commercial quota holders was presented at the Stanyer process by the PHMA and incorporated in to the process as "Option 2" by DFO. That silliness that has now mutated in to the "Experimental Transfer License" wasn't even discussed at the Gordon Process.

Yes, both sides did agree that DFO created this mess and should get us out of it - at the Gordon Process, not Stanyer. And yes, it was after treasury board rejected the idea the DFO would front the 20 mill to compensate a transfer and then claw it back in the form of a stamp that the Stanyer process was struck. In hindsight I'm really glad that happened because it forced us to look deeper in to the whole commercial quota "management" mess and learn about things like slipper skippers. If we had that information during the Gordon Process I am also confident there is NO WAY the rec sector reps would have agreed to a compensated transfer - government sponsored or otherwise.

The game has changed, and I doubt that non fishing quota holders will ever get any support from the public fishery ever again. Why should they?

My facts are straight on this one.

CP

 

[searun]

Not sure where you are coming from ... in your first sentence you agree that it is a good thing that the government is buying back halibut quota and giving it to the natives...in your last sentence you say it is important to get public ownership back into the fishery. ??? If the goverment buys up all the available quota for the natives how much more quota do you think there will be for public ownership? zero?

Its called humor..that's what the wink was all about