OldBlackDog
Well-Known Member
Comox Valley Record
Loss of West Coast troll fleet is a sad situation
By Ralph Shaw - Comox Valley Record
Published: January 29, 2009 6:00 PM
Canada and the United States have ratified an agreement on changes to five chapters of the Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST), which expired at the end of 2008, it was announced Jan. 5 by Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.
The renewed chapters, which took effect Jan. 1, will help ensure the long-term sustainability of Pacific salmon stocks while supporting an economically viable fishing industry on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.
I took this announcement from a press release from DFO on the treaty. I will direct my comments primarily at Chapter 3 (Chinook) and its impact on the West Coast troll fleet and on Chapter 5 (Coho).
“Chapter 3 (Chinook) The revised chapter will maintain the current abundance-based management framework established in 1999. Reductions will occur in allowable chinook harvest in two aggregate abundance based management (AABM) ‘mixed stock fisheries’ to address conservation concerns in both countries. The current maximum catch levels would be reduced by 15 pe cent in the case of the (U.S.) Southeast Alaskan AABM fishery and by 30 per cent in the case of the (Canadian) West Coast of Vancouver Island AABM fishery.
“A fund will be created, endowed by both the U.S. and Canada, to support implementation of the chinook chapter. Key elements would include $30,000,000 which Canada can access to help mitigate the impacts of harvest reductions in Canada.”
As I understand it, the major purpose of this fund is to buy out as much as they can of the West Coast troll fleet. From a purely recreational selfish point of view, one may argue this is a good thing, because it may mean more fish for the recreational fishery. From my perspective I do not see it this way. I see the loss of the troll fleet as a sad situation where we as a West Coast seafaring society continue to retreat from our use of the bounty of the sea.
Yes, we may let the fleet take time out, but I sincerely hope we find ways to carry this small fleet of seafaring Canadians into the future so that when stocks do come back, they will once again have a presence on the sea.
We are currently using billions to shore up various banking and industrial operations in the economic crisis. Funds to support this small, but crucially important, seafaring industry should be made available.
“Chapter 5 (Coho): the renewed chapter for coho incorporates the joint Southern Coho Management Plan developed in 2002 with abundance- based management framework established in 1999.”
I am not privy to all of the material in this chapter that deals with coho, but my eyes were dazzled with the $49,000,000 cited in Chapter 3 (Chinook) to deal with specific problems for chinook.
I could be made to feel happy if I saw similarfunds to deal with the coho crisis in our coastal waters instead of leaving most of the on-the-ground fundraising to citizen groups.
Make no mistake – I support the Pacific Salmon Treaty; but let us recognize that as a people we are retreating from our use of the sea and its bounty at a time when we should be aggressively trying to heal some of its problems.
Aquaculture will not sustain or create a seafaring people on the West Coast of Canada.
• • •
The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IHPC) has been meeting with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to try to come up with a fishing plan for the current 2009 halibut fishing season. There are some challenging problems for the recreational fishery in that we will see a significant reduction in our Total Allowable Catch (TAC).
In 2008 the Canadian TAC was nine million pounds and the new TAC for Canada will be 7.63 million pounds. This means a reduction of nearly 1.4 million pounds for the season. Added to our problem is that we over-fished our allocation of the TAC in 2008, so expect some significant changes in our 2009 halibut fishing plan.
The season is currently closed, and will remain closed for some time until a management plan is completed. On the positive side we will have a halibut season, even though it will in all likelihood see fishing time and limits reduced from the 2008 season.
Find this article at:
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_north/comoxvalleyrecord/sports/38641159.html
Loss of West Coast troll fleet is a sad situation
By Ralph Shaw - Comox Valley Record
Published: January 29, 2009 6:00 PM
Canada and the United States have ratified an agreement on changes to five chapters of the Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST), which expired at the end of 2008, it was announced Jan. 5 by Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.
The renewed chapters, which took effect Jan. 1, will help ensure the long-term sustainability of Pacific salmon stocks while supporting an economically viable fishing industry on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.
I took this announcement from a press release from DFO on the treaty. I will direct my comments primarily at Chapter 3 (Chinook) and its impact on the West Coast troll fleet and on Chapter 5 (Coho).
“Chapter 3 (Chinook) The revised chapter will maintain the current abundance-based management framework established in 1999. Reductions will occur in allowable chinook harvest in two aggregate abundance based management (AABM) ‘mixed stock fisheries’ to address conservation concerns in both countries. The current maximum catch levels would be reduced by 15 pe cent in the case of the (U.S.) Southeast Alaskan AABM fishery and by 30 per cent in the case of the (Canadian) West Coast of Vancouver Island AABM fishery.
“A fund will be created, endowed by both the U.S. and Canada, to support implementation of the chinook chapter. Key elements would include $30,000,000 which Canada can access to help mitigate the impacts of harvest reductions in Canada.”
As I understand it, the major purpose of this fund is to buy out as much as they can of the West Coast troll fleet. From a purely recreational selfish point of view, one may argue this is a good thing, because it may mean more fish for the recreational fishery. From my perspective I do not see it this way. I see the loss of the troll fleet as a sad situation where we as a West Coast seafaring society continue to retreat from our use of the bounty of the sea.
Yes, we may let the fleet take time out, but I sincerely hope we find ways to carry this small fleet of seafaring Canadians into the future so that when stocks do come back, they will once again have a presence on the sea.
We are currently using billions to shore up various banking and industrial operations in the economic crisis. Funds to support this small, but crucially important, seafaring industry should be made available.
“Chapter 5 (Coho): the renewed chapter for coho incorporates the joint Southern Coho Management Plan developed in 2002 with abundance- based management framework established in 1999.”
I am not privy to all of the material in this chapter that deals with coho, but my eyes were dazzled with the $49,000,000 cited in Chapter 3 (Chinook) to deal with specific problems for chinook.
I could be made to feel happy if I saw similarfunds to deal with the coho crisis in our coastal waters instead of leaving most of the on-the-ground fundraising to citizen groups.
Make no mistake – I support the Pacific Salmon Treaty; but let us recognize that as a people we are retreating from our use of the sea and its bounty at a time when we should be aggressively trying to heal some of its problems.
Aquaculture will not sustain or create a seafaring people on the West Coast of Canada.
• • •
The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IHPC) has been meeting with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to try to come up with a fishing plan for the current 2009 halibut fishing season. There are some challenging problems for the recreational fishery in that we will see a significant reduction in our Total Allowable Catch (TAC).
In 2008 the Canadian TAC was nine million pounds and the new TAC for Canada will be 7.63 million pounds. This means a reduction of nearly 1.4 million pounds for the season. Added to our problem is that we over-fished our allocation of the TAC in 2008, so expect some significant changes in our 2009 halibut fishing plan.
The season is currently closed, and will remain closed for some time until a management plan is completed. On the positive side we will have a halibut season, even though it will in all likelihood see fishing time and limits reduced from the 2008 season.
Find this article at:
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_north/comoxvalleyrecord/sports/38641159.html
