Herring fishermen want your tax dollars.

[OldBlackDog]

Herring fishermen ask feds for $6 million to compensate losses
By KRISTIAN SECHER
Published April 23, 2014 02:38 pm | 8 Comments



Commercial herring roe fishermen are asking the federal government to compensate their losses after a decision to reopen fisheries was capsized by First Nations' opposition.

Fishermen say their losses include license fees and potential catches of upwards 2,000 tonnes of herring on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, where the reopening of fisheries was barred by a federal injunction filed by Nuu-chah-nulth Nation. The First Nation feared commercial fishing could collapse the herring stock.

The industry and fishermen are hoping to get $6 million from the government, said Bob Morreau, board member of the Herring Industry Advisory Board, a group of herring fishermen and processor representatives.

Morreau, a seasoned fisherman himself, said he paid $10,000 in license fees to fish off Vancouver Island. Now he’s short that money with nothing to show for it, and he’s not alone. In total, 50 fishermen crews bought licences for the failed West Coast fisheries.

Morreau said it’s been tough on the fishermen, who have to support their families. They had high hopes when the reopening was announced, he said, only to have it taken away when the areas remained closed. “It’s been a roller-coaster ride.”

Three areas were set to reopen to commercial fishing this year: Haida Gwaii, the central coast, and the west coast of Vancouver Island. But months of battle between the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and First Nations resulted in only the central coast remaining open.

While the Nuu-chah-nulth Nation took the legal route with its injunction, the Haida Nation and the fisheries industry reached a mutual agreement to not pursue roe fisheries this season. Since that was a voluntary decision, fishermen are not seeking compensation for Haida Gwaii.

Rob Morley, vice president of production and corporate development with Canadian Fishing Company, said it wasn’t only fishermen who lost out, but also shore workers in the processing plants. He estimates they lost about 15 per cent of planned work this season.

Morreau and Morley met with federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea in mid-March in the aftermath of the injunction to ask for compensation. They haven’t heard anything back since then, they said.

Asked last week to provide comment, DFO was unable to meet today’s deadline. However, Minister Shea’s office told The Tyee earlier in April that it was not considering granting compensation at that point in time.

Kristian Secher is completing a practicum at The Tyee.

- See more at: http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2014/04/23/Herring-Compensation/#sthash.FloD8122.dpuf

 

[Klob]

Anyone got a Kleenex?

 

[trophywife]

i understand getting paid back for a license in which they could not fish..... after that, find another job. you or your predecessors ruined that market.

 

[rockdog]

I agree ^
.....

 

[seadna]

Wow, there were two years I bought a BC rec license that I didn't fish in BC. Maybe I should ask the BC government to reimburse me for the licenses and the fish I didn't catch! ;-) And all you BC guys who tried to catch sockeye on the depleted Frazier runs a few years back, you should get reimbursed also!

 

[bigbruce]

Oh c'mon, Seadna - you chose not to fish after you bought your license. These herring fishermen were barred from fishing after they bought their licenses. Not quite the same.

 

[fish4all]

A license costs $3800 to activate with DFO ever season. They should give the fees back. Not the fishermen fault DFO is incompetent.

 

[Rockfish]

A license costs $3800 to activate with DFO ever season. They should give the fees back. Not the fishermen fault DFO is incompetent.

There is not much I agree with you on related to your protective defense of the commercial sector but this one I will give you. Refund their annual license cost if they were not permitted an opportunity to use it at all but that is it.

Loss of expected profits or benefits because of a closure is an absurdity. When sport fishing opportunities have been reduced or eliminated they have never provided compensation to us or all the businesses that service and support us for lost benefit, opportunity or profits. If they had it would have cost the taxpayers billions.

I am sick of all the business and corporate welfare the Feds have been handing out in recent years. No wonder the middle class who end up having to pay for it is struggling. Time to stop the privatization of profits and the socialization of risks. Let them play by the same rules as the rest of us. No business should be guaranteed a profit by government although that seems to be the new realty with party supporters, favorites and the too big to fail crowd.

 

[ziggy]

I think it's fair to return the fees charged to the Commercial fishermen to fish, if you tell them they can't.

 

[Fish Assassin]

Yup....... Give them their money back. Then start an inquiry into what happened. Find out who is at fault for the collapse of the herring and charge them for the destruction of that fishery. Many have profited from this BS and I personally think they should be the ones to pay for all the costs of doing so.

People need to be held responsible......

 

[Ripcurl]

The Feds compensate fish farms to the tune of millions for lost product due to CFIA ordering a cull if their product is diseased or sick. Bad business model with a Tax payer bailout every time. May as well bail out the commercial sector as well since that tax money isn't being used for anything productive.

 

[casper5280]

Just another reason why DFO needs to be rethought and managed. They couldn't manage a fart contest after a chili cook-off if they tried.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Annual license fees yes only. Just give it back. You can't charge people for what is not used ( bravo Ottawa). As far as other compensation I say no that really is the risk with a business that depends on resource.

As a small business owner I have to take risks and I am not just guaranteed the work will be there. This is the same. Ottawa won't pay anyway not enough voters in areas effected.

 

[fish4all]

. Find out who is at fault for the collapse of the herring and charge them for the destruction of that fishery..

you sure appear to have a hate on for commercial fishing. do you have any idea on the amount of herring that has been showing up on this coast for the last few years? We are far far from a collapse. The water conditions are getting back to where the pilchards have left and gone south and now the herring are returning in huge numbers. it's too bad dfo is so screwed up that they cant afford to do the proper surveys in all areas.

 

[Redfisher]

As an ex commercial fisherman it has been hard to appreciate numerous comments on this site that are anti commercial. The management of herring stocks and the various commercial fisheries are largely mis-understood by most people including commercial fisherman and the recreational sector. There is a lot of science regarding roe herring stocks that DFO knows about through their research work that is almost lost in all of this. However in this case the non-fishery and remaining closure is far more political and economic than it is about stock "numbers". This is about the redistribution of money away from an existing sector to an emerging sector, plain and simple.

I sold my salmon commercial license 2 years ago for pennies on the dollar and still have 1 useless herring gillnet license. I refuse to "give it" back to the government in their buyback schemes so I can see it "handed out" to another Canadian who may know nothing of the actual fishery or industry. I will keep it until they pry it out of my dead hands. I, like fish4all, believe roe herring stocks are not collapsing, they are actually quite strong in many areas and can rebuild quite quickly due to the fast life cycles of roe herring.

On the lighter side I am learning how to be just a sports fisherman and enjoying having the opportunity to fish our beautiful coastline. I enjoy the sharing of knowledge and love of fishing on this site. Please give the commercial bashing a rest.