IronNoggin
Well-Known Member
Last I looked it is close to $25/lb for commercial fish in the store and over $50/lb in some restaurants.
And that therein is the thrust of the problem. By turning a Common Property Resource into a Tradeable Commodity, DFO directly set the stage for ever increasing pricing. Why are the prices in the stores and restaurants so excessive? Simple. Those that hold the quota can charge what ever the hell they want for it, and they drive that pricing to the absolute maximum the market can possibly bear!
Were the quota held by Absentee Fish Brokers to be removed to a collective pool that Honest Working Fishermen could access (for a reasonable fee rather than close to their first-born) there would be many many positive spin-offs. The Working Fishermen (and their crews) would realize realistic compensation for their efforts, the price to the purchasing public could be lowered to a reasonable level, and there would be sufficient quota freed to do away with all this controversy surrounding the Recreational Sector's access.
This is EXACTLY the tack DFO has taken on our East Coast. Use It Or Lose It VERY much applies.
Seems out here they're still stuck in the Dark Ages...
Nog