Tuna Fishers watch your posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tidal Chaos]

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has started to collect catch and effort data for the quickly expanding recreational tuna fishery. Collection of data supports science, fisheries management and stock assessment – which ultimately benefits the sustainability of the resource for all sectors. DFO, the Sport Fishing Advisory Board, and recreational tuna harvesters have developed a tuna logbook that is available in electronic or paper format. One logbook entry should be completed by each vessel for every trip where albacore is caught. Basic catch and effort data will be collected, and is not expected to be a burden to busy captains or crew. It should also be noted that reporting catch and effort is also a licence condition for recreational harvesters. To obtain copies, or for more information, please contact Jordan.Mah@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

This was sent to me yesterday from another sport Tuna fisherperson and it raises concern for me regarding this small fishery. Have any of you other addicts been contacted by DFO to take part in this or even discuss? I only see bad from this as it maybe driven by the commercial fleet to try and limit our allowable catch to less than it is now and the only way this can be done is to get our numbers. I think we need to watch the numbers posted to this site as they do on the RED and Black site so we don't give them any extra info to try a drive our take down, our numbers are so insignificant to the commercial take; but as we seem to be the ones always having the restrictions put on us I am not giving them any help.

Post up your reports but don't put a number to your catch as we want to see this fishery grow and not be filled with all the restrictions being put on every other fishing opportunity we have.

I know this is probably a generic statement from fisheries sent out to the commercial, lodge and rec fishers but as there has been no discussions with any of us sporties this has been put forward by big business I would presume. We are taking a small amount of a migratory fish that comes into our waters and feed on bait; I am sure including salmon smolts and we are reducing but a small amount of them; which should be considered a good thing; but what do I know; I am just a sport fisherman feeding my family with my catch!

 

[seadna]

This sounds like paranoia to me. An alternate view is that understanding the recreation interest in albacore and $'s generated by a recreational albacore fishery will help us to protect our stake. I can guarantee that the economic impact per fish is MUCH higher for the recreational side of things than the commercial side. I'll be posting my trips and numbers.

 

[Fish Assassin]

When DFO gets involved it's all over....... Some idiot in Ottawa sitting at a desk will come up with some wonderful idea about west coast fishing once again.

 

[ryanb]

We all know sport fishing puts way way way more into the economy on a per capita basis (per fish) than any commercial fishery. Doesn't matter... Commercial interests always seem to win out when it comes to DFO. This is not paranoia, this is being smart

 

[Rum Buddies]

Post up your reports but don't put a number to your catch as we want to see this fishery grow and not be filled with all the restrictions being put on every other fishing opportunity we have.

you mean like those pesky possesion limits?

 

[Tidal Chaos]

Paranoia maybe; but more like reality!

If DFO is looking for numbers about a small evolving fishery (50 boats maybe); someone has told them to get the numbers, and I highly doubt it was Harper. Big business is always behind DFO and there catch numbers as they have the money and lawyers to lobby to have the catch reduced for the sport fleet. They also seem to use this forum to get there numbers to argue at the meetings as they have mentioned it in the past at other meetings.

Anyone is welcome to post what they want; I am just letting you know what they are up to and if they can't get the numbers from this forum and from the sport fleet it will slow down what they are trying to do and what big business wants; the sport guys to quit getting there fish.

I will still be posting intel and results; just no dock shots and numbers; if you want those PM me and you will get any info you want!

 

[Dennis.t]

Anything DFO gets involved in is a F_ck up. Bad news indeed...

 

[Tidal Chaos]

you mean like those pesky possesion limits?

I have yet to catch my possession limit in this fishery; and highly doubt I ever will; I can't pack enough ice or do I have near enough room, plus it would take me days to figure out what to do with it all, I feed my family and share with friends, I am in no way going to take more than I need! My first trip we pulled the plug because we ran out of ice but were still on the fish.

I not greedy and abide by the law; but when big business wants to restrict my and other peoples fishing to line there pockets; I have a problem with it!

I haven't even bothered with hali this year as I have been waiting for tuna; it is good to have limits for sustainability; but when restrictions are put in place to make big business more profitable and allow them better access and restrict our access; I am not willing to help and will put it out there for others to make there own decisions!

 

[Fish Assassin]

Personally I think its common sense not to be posting anything that could be used against rec. sport fishermen. Example......coolers and traps full of prawns, limits of crabs, docks filled with tuna or any other fish.

You harvest and post your giving the DFO and commercial sector evidence to use against us. Even though it just one guy they figure every sportsman is doing the same.... It's just stupid

 

[bigdogeh]

I agree, don't think anyone is being paranoid about this. you can rest assured they would love to limit our harvest and have been thinking of ways and what to implement. i agree the amount of catch that sporties are responsible for, especially when it comes to tuna, is smaller than a drop in the bucket but they love to make rules and regs to justify their jobs. please don't give them any reason to make changes. as really things are fine the way they are and don't require changes. it's a long ways to get out there, the expense and planning is huge and if they regulate to not make it worth it for the small window of opportunity we have that sucks for everyone... would be a shame if they feel they have to fiddle with the way the regs are concerning tuna presently.

 

[halimark]

Paranoia ??? Has anyone forgot our halibut predicament. Good idea, post nothing that will be used against us sporties. If DFO was honest and concerned with rec sport fisherman they could get a true feel of all fisheries from posts on here. Do they care???

HM

 

[jordanmah]

Hi, my name is Jordan Mah and I am the Tuna Resource Manager for DFO. I have been working with the recreational sector to establish the logbook program for the recreational tuna fishery. I have been working closely with several members of the rec tuna sector, including the SFAB, who fully support the collection of catch and effort data for this fishery.

Reading through the posts above, there seems to be some misconceptions about what our objectives are.

First, I can say definitively that the objective of collecting catch and effort information is NOT to make any changes to the daily or possession limit for tuna.

As mentioned, catch and effort information will enhance our data of the fishery and benefits not only the rec sector, but the entire species. One of the benefits of establishing data for the rec fishery is that it enhances Canada's position during international negotiations for the management of tuna. Currently, there is no limit on the commercial sector catch, and there is no plan to change the limit for the rec sector. However, the more catch and effort data that we can collect, the better we position ourselves for future management requirements. For example, if the international organizations who set the management rules for tuna decided to implement a TAC, it would be best for the rec sector to have catch history in order to make an argument for an appropriate share.

We've had many participants in the rec fishery volunteer to submit catch and effort tuna data, and for that we're very appreciative. I agree that this fishery does not have a large catch (from the very limited amount of data that I've seen) and the daily limits are very rarely reached (because of vessel holding capacity). As the chair of the Tuna Advisory Board, I've heard the commercial sector and the recreational sector both agree that the collection of data is something that we need for this fishery, and the Board has not requested a reduction in the daily catch limit for tuna. The recreational fishery is certainly great for the economy, and the commercial sector has mentioned that they'd be willing to lend any help/knowledge that may be helpful.

If anyone would like to discuss further, feel free to contact me directly (jordan.mah@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) or ask questions on this thread.

Have a great weekend,
Jordan

 

[Tidal Chaos]

Hi, my name is Jordan Mah and I am the Tuna Resource Manager for DFO. I have been working with the recreational sector to establish the logbook program for the recreational tuna fishery. I have been working closely with several members of the rec tuna sector, including the SFAB, who fully support the collection of catch and effort data for this fishery.

Reading through the posts above, there seems to be some misconceptions about what our objectives are.

First, I can say definitively that the objective of collecting catch and effort information is NOT to make any changes to the daily or possession limit for tuna.

As mentioned, catch and effort information will enhance our data of the fishery and benefits not only the rec sector, but the entire species. One of the benefits of establishing data for the rec fishery is that it enhances Canada's position during international negotiations for the management of tuna. Currently, there is no limit on the commercial sector catch, and there is no plan to change the limit for the rec sector. However, the more catch and effort data that we can collect, the better we position ourselves for future management requirements. For example, if the international organizations who set the management rules for tuna decided to implement a TAC, it would be best for the rec sector to have catch history in order to make an argument for an appropriate share.

We've had many participants in the rec fishery volunteer to submit catch and effort tuna data, and for that we're very appreciative. I agree that this fishery does not have a large catch (from the very limited amount of data that I've seen) and the daily limits are very rarely reached (because of vessel holding capacity). As the chair of the Tuna Advisory Board, I've heard the commercial sector and the recreational sector both agree that the collection of data is something that we need for this fishery, and the Board has not requested a reduction in the daily catch limit for tuna. The recreational fishery is certainly great for the economy, and the commercial sector has mentioned that they'd be willing to lend any help/knowledge that may be helpful.

If anyone would like to discuss further, feel free to contact me directly (jordan.mah@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) or ask questions on this thread.

Have a great weekend,
Jordan

Jordon

Nice of you to join the forum and chime in on this discussion; were you alerted to this thread?

I agree with your argument that it will position us better when the time comes to have to go into negotiations with the international negotiators for TAC; but to try and tell us that it is our duty to record our catch and report it doesn't make sense to me. We as sport fishers are regulated on how much we are allowed to take home; wouldn't it be better to enact a cap on the commercial sector as well to guarantee there is no over fishing of the species in our waters and off our coast before they are over fished? I know our commercial fleet fishes both sides of the border as do the US commercial fleet; and I know the commercial fleet also already has log books for there catches; would this catch data not be enough compared to our small catch data. It seems to me that when DFO gets numbers and takes that catch data it tends to drive a wedge between the sport fishers and the commercial guys as it is the sport guys that always are accused of over fishing or over harvesting and we usually get the short end of the stick as we don't have the $ behind us when things are tabled and the finger pointing starts; I know the guys that go to the table and fight for us wish they had more backing and try there hardest to fight for what we have and try to keep it; but usually big business prevails down the road as all fisheries are about money to the commercial fleet and there owners (arm chair captains) and we usually lose in the long run.

When you say you have met with the rec sector participants; is this the lodges or actual rec fisher people?

I think we as rec guys would have preferred to have heard this from our local SFAB guys rather than a notice telling us we have to report our catch data. I don't know about you but with the way things have been happening with prawns; halibut and now this; you can understand why I wouldn't want to have anything to do with catch data and who gets it; as we (like I said) tend to get the short end of the stick in the long run; especially when I have a daily max I will never reach and the business side of this can catch and keep as much as they want or can. Just my 2 cents, and yes I do attend SFAB meetings in my area and would have preferred to have heard about this more in detail before the email was sent to everyone as it was sent.

Again; welcome to the forum as we do know DFO reads our posts and at least you joined as other employees (DFO) have in the past, to let other SFBC members know that DFO does creep the forum for info!

 

[jordanmah]

Jordon

Nice of you to join the forum and chime in on this discussion; were you alerted to this thread?

I agree with your argument that it will position us better when the time comes to have to go into negotiations with the international negotiators for TAC; but to try and tell us that it is our duty to record our catch and report it doesn't make sense to me. We as sport fishers are regulated on how much we are allowed to take home; wouldn't it be better to enact a cap on the commercial sector as well to guarantee there is no over fishing of the species in our waters and off our coast before they are over fished? I know our commercial fleet fishes both sides of the border as do the US commercial fleet; and I know the commercial fleet also already has log books for there catches; would this catch data not be enough compared to our small catch data. It seems to me that when DFO gets numbers and takes that catch data it tends to drive a wedge between the sport fishers and the commercial guys as it is the sport guys that always are accused of over fishing or over harvesting and we usually get the short end of the stick as we don't have the $ behind us when things are tabled and the finger pointing starts; I know the guys that go to the table and fight for us wish they had more backing and try there hardest to fight for what we have and try to keep it; but usually big business prevails down the road as all fisheries are about money to the commercial fleet and there owners (arm chair captains) and we usually lose in the long run.

When you say you have met with the rec sector participants; is this the lodges or actual rec fisher people?

I think we as rec guys would have preferred to have heard this from our local SFAB guys rather than a notice telling us we have to report our catch data. I don't know about you but with the way things have been happening with prawns; halibut and now this; you can understand why I wouldn't want to have anything to do with catch data and who gets it; as we (like I said) tend to get the short end of the stick in the long run; especially when I have a daily max I will never reach and the business side of this can catch and keep as much as they want or can. Just my 2 cents, and yes I do attend SFAB meetings in my area and would have preferred to have heard about this more in detail before the email was sent to everyone as it was sent.

Again; welcome to the forum as we do know DFO reads our posts and at least you joined as other employees (DFO) have in the past, to let other SFBC members know that DFO does creep the forum for info!

Hi Tidal Chaos,

Thanks for your message and welcome to this forum.

I can certainly understand the concerns that you and others have about our endeavor to gather more information. The latest international stock assessment for tuna says that the stock is not being overfished, that is why there isn't caps being placed on commercial catch/effort at this point. We still monitor the effort of the commercial fleet very closely, however, and many of the commercial sector have requested limits on their own fleet in order to increase safety on the water and conserve the species. Reporting of catch data is included in the Fisheries Act, for all sectors, but we simply do not have the resources to go out and collect data for this small tuna fishery - which is why I am managing the collection of this data and asking participants to voluntarily submit.

As well, I can also understand the divide there may be between the rec and commercial sectors, but from what I have seen at the Tuna Advisory Board meetings - there has been nothing but respectful discussion and a willingness for cooperation between the two sectors.

I stumbled upon this thread randomly, as I have been looking for lodges/marinas that have tuna fishing so that I might be able to gather more participants in our program. I can tell you that nobody from DFO is collecting data from this forum for tuna, because I am the only person working on data collection for tuna. I can get a sense that the fishery is growing, but in terms of numbers - as long as people are within the daily limit, there's nothing to be concerned with on my end.

I can also understand that it would have been appreciated to have been notified through your local SFAB. I know this has been discussed at the SFAB main table, but my apologies for lack of discussion at local meetings, this process is all being done sort of ad hoc and we wanted to try and get this program off the ground before the season passed. I have been working with individual fishers in the rec sector, lodges/marinas, as well as members of the SFAB on this. My goal by posting on this thread is to try and address directly any concerns that you may have. If anything, I'd like to help develop the recreational fishery as opposed to reduce it.

Cheers,
Jordan

 

[Tidal Chaos]

Jordan

Thanks for your well put statements; it is a growing fishery and is unique in that everyone is out to help everyone; since it is a long ways off the beach and safety is paramount; this is why we tend to run with buddy boats for most trips or stay in touch with others while we are out looking for fish.

This forum can be a wealth of info for all types of fishing and tuna being so young for us sports guys is exciting; hence why some are protective as there are so few us of that we want to share it with others before it is over regulated and no longer fun!

Again thanks for the clarification on your plans and welcome to the forum.

Good luck on your data collection.

 

[Charter Tofino]

Relax guys...

Jordan contacted me last summer and we have bounced ideas back and forth this winter along with a number of other involved members of the sports sector and related biologists. As Jordan highlighted, their information collection is not aimed to reduce or shut us down. They are trying to gain insight into a new fishery and collect data to properly manage it. We actually tried to get the ball rolling last year during the Shootout but ran into a few issues and only ended up with some rough figures. We will have optional log books this year that we will hand out to everyone.

 

[eaglemaniac]

We are geting sucked in again. eman

 

[directmule]

We are geting sucked in again. eman

Why is that? because of this?


jordanmah
Member
Join Date Sep 2012
Posts 2

 

[searun]

Yes, relax gents X2. The log book program is an excellent way for us to ensure the recreational data is captured and helps us establish reliable information regarding the recreational tuna fishery. We often run across issues where rumour and false information is used to support harmful positions at various mgmt tables. We really need this data. WCFGA will be getting this info out to members and encouraging them to participate.

 

[IronNoggin]

Relax guys...

Good Post Kelly.
I know of several commercial tuna fishermen who are laughing their asses off over this particular post here.

Let's face it Ladz, there are currently NO limits for them, nor really for us. In fact, the entire combined annual catch of the sports sector amounts to little more than one good (single) trip for a seasoned boat who knows their stuff. They have NO interest in curtailing what we're up to, and couldn't care less how many we might take (beyond the tip of a good hot-spot or two when it is happening).

Good on Jordan for coming on here to explain what he (they) are looking for. Appreciated btw!

As noted, the only limit imposed at this point is for us. A generous one to boot (most recognize we are much more limited by carrying capacity more than anything else). When and / or if there comes a time when a Canadian TAC may become imposed, it is in your better interest to have at least some "historic data" to prove your involvement in the fishery. And thus secure your spot "at the table". Personally I think this is a ways off, but better to get in while the going is good to establish our "Presence" out there.

Most here know my stance regarding The Dino (themselves included ;-). This AIN'T a "halibut situation".
That said, I support this initiative and think that those of us who want continued access (Long Term) should be catching LOTS while the "Iron Is Hot"!

Always going to be a Chicken Little in the crowd. Been there myself from time to time
In this case, the Sky Ain't Falling Ladz!!!

Cheers

Nog