IPHC Halibut Forecast - further declines

What is your preference if Canada gets less halibut TAC?

  • Keep 2 under 90cm or choice of 1 under 126 cm and March start with early close in August?

    Votes: 24 17.6%
  • Keep same regs as 2019, but start season later in June to protect summer season June - Aug?

    Votes: 35 25.7%
  • Move to only 1 fish from 2, but keep larger size (126cm) - March start with possible early close?

    Votes: 62 45.6%
  • Move to only 1 fish, but keep larger size (126cm) - late start (June) - protect summer season?

    Votes: 11 8.1%
  • Keep 2 fish option, but lower size limit - 2 at 90cm with March start and possible early close

    Votes: 2 1.5%
  • Keep 2 fish option, but lower size limit - 2 at 90cm with late start (June) to protect summer season

    Votes: 2 1.5%

  • Total voters
    136
I proposed 20 years ago in meeting that any non Canadian who wanted to come fish here should have had to hire a guide just like in hunting,
Back in the day they would come up here fish all day can fish all night tap tap tap is all you ever heard all night etc . I was basically told to shut up and wasnt even brought forth ,As i could see the damage it was causing , you would go to telegraph cove and 80 % were americans with the jet boats and they would stay for weeks . Now its just moved to other areas and well processors dont help much either when it gets ship to there door now does it....
No matter what this isnt going to get solved here and common sense never comes into play with DFO they always have their own agenda and put this out before hand so we can all get pissed off and flustered and start arguing about it all.... share holders love this btw
 
We should be clear that we are not against non residents fishing here....but if I take a fish out of Canadian waters...other Canadians benefited by my purchases to make that trip and catch happen....it should be no different for non residents. Some Canadians should benefit financially from that fish coming out of Canadian waters. A boat running across an imaginary line, catching a fish and then running home does n't meet that criteria.
 
Any idea how much the non resident catch makes up?

Good question. One wonders how they would guesstimate it. Some would never go through a Creel Survey etc.

It would seem there are 7 sub-categories of Non Canadians. Some that come up with their own boat by water and immediately return to the US after taking some Halibut and perhaps other species (salmon) etc. Those who come up with their boat by water and anchor and stay on the boat for a few days. Those that come up with their own boat by water and spend some days at a Canadian marina/campground/motel etc. Then there are those who trailer their boat up and stay some days at a marina/campground/motel etc. There are those that trailer up launch and then anchor up and stay on their boat. There are those who come without boats and are guided possibly staying in lodges/motels etc. and finally those who come and fish with Canadian angler friends or relatives. Not hard to see which ones offer the least benefit to Canada while using up some of our increasingly precious Halibut quota.
 
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I proposed 20 years ago in meeting that any non Canadian who wanted to come fish here should have had to hire a guide just like in hunting,
Back in the day they would come up here fish all day can fish all night tap tap tap is all you ever heard all night etc . I was basically told to shut up and wasnt even brought forth ,As i could see the damage it was causing , you would go to telegraph cove and 80 % were americans with the jet boats and they would stay for weeks . Now its just moved to other areas and well processors dont help much either when it gets ship to there door now does it....
No matter what this isnt going to get solved here and common sense never comes into play with DFO they always have their own agenda and put this out before hand so we can all get pissed off and flustered and start arguing about it all.... share holders love this btw
Not sure about Sooke but the processors on Tofino and Ucluelet don’t ship to the US anymore because US Customs holds up the shipments so long they thaw and spoil before they get to their destination

For several years now my clients have had to take their fish with them
 
I was talking more about others there is no processors in sooke only FAS in vic , im talking about others that will take it in can it or smoke it then ship to US. so it doesnt go towards thier possession limits. hence why they keep fishing for weeks at a time
 
Wolf,

From what I understand this fish is suppose to go against their possession limit and until this fish is at their place of residency it is technically still in their possession and they should not still be fishing.

Not saying all follow this rule but this is what I was told by DFO and the processor we use in Hardy. Really tough one to enforce though.
 
We should be clear that we are not against non residents fishing here....but if I take a fish out of Canadian waters...other Canadians benefited by my purchases to make that trip and catch happen....it should be no different for non residents. Some Canadians should benefit financially from that fish coming out of Canadian waters. A boat running across an imaginary line, catching a fish and then running home does n't meet that criteria.
Keep it simple have a Resident and non Resident TAC based on the annual allocation from bilateral meetings between us and America. The non Resident TAC could be adjusted to ensure the Resident TAC doesn’t result in early closures. As I said before it makes no sense for us and America to divide the harvest between us and then to allow each other to catch the others resultant allocation Once again though it all comes down to how much Canadian TAC is caught by non Residents?
I have no problems with non Residents harvesting our surplus catch, but heavy emphasis on surplus. I think Canadian fishers should have first access on our Internationally negotiated catch. I also believe if there is a surplus it should be managed to maximize benefits to Canadian communities and businesses.
 
Is it legal for an American charter fishing business to cross into BC waters at will and operate as a guiding service day in and day out?
 
No it is not legal. Often those doing this always have a bunch of friends fishing on the boat..they have lots of friends. It used to be harder for them to do this when licenses had to be bought in person in Canada. Online license purchases has made this easier for these operators.
 
No it is not legal. Often those doing this always have a bunch of friends fishing on the boat..they have lots of friends. It used to be harder for them to do this when licenses had to be bought in person in Canada. Online license purchases has made this easier for these operators.
I was told last year by Island Outfitters Americans could not buy licenses online, but had to buy them in person in Canada.
Did I misunderstand what I was told?
 
Bear

Thats what I was talking about you have seen it I have seen it they just keep fishing day in and day out , kinda letting the fox look after hen house effect isnt it...

REALLY the thing that needs to happen is we need that 80/20 On TAC like it was many years ago when it was challenged, I dont know why it went back to the 15%


The amount the commercials leave in the water every year and what has accumulated in the last 9 years is more then we as sporties would EVER use up..
 
Bear

Thats what I was talking about you have seen it I have seen it they just keep fishing day in and day out , kinda letting the fox look after hen house effect isnt it...

REALLY the thing that needs to happen is we need that 80/20 On TAC like it was many years ago when it was challenged, I dont know why it went back to the 15%


The amount the commercials leave in the water every year and what has accumulated in the last 9 years is more then we as sporties would EVER use up..
Thank You WOLF

Must say you are the SANE guy.

HM
 
Years ago a license vendor in Renni got caught sending books of licenses over to Neah Bay so that the charter guys over there could license their paying clientele up on the spot. The charter guys would then send the completed books plus a premium payment per license back to the Renni vendor. Shows you how some people think, or don't or care.
 
https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/licence-permis/index-eng.html

Non-residents wishing to fish and retain halibut in Areas 121, 23 and 123, must obtain their licence from a licence vendor in Canada (Independent Access Provider).
Doesn't stop the problem...I hear there is a vendor in Surrey who sends books of Canadian Licenses south....that way people can get a license in Neah Bay. As most know, WA's season is something like 6 days, so a lot of incentive to be able to cross the border, catch a Canadian Halibut, and cross back. Presents US enforcement with a real challenge too, because even if they are fishing the US side, they can always say they got in in Canada...hard to prove unless you have that particular boat under constant surveillance. Need to close the loop hole and require the actual fishing trip needs to start and end in Canada.
 
After years of looking at this I believe the following.

As long as DFO’s allocation policies of Canada’s Halibut TAC (a Canadian Public Resource ) over restricts and threatens reasonable access, all non residents should have to utilize the XRQ to retain Canadian TAC. Guided or not. Regardless of where the trip originates from.
This XRQ should only allow them to fish under Canadian regulations set out for resident recreational anglers for that season. No longer should it create another tear of less restrictive rules. Canada’s recreational TAC Should be for Canadian tax payers first.

As it is now there are resident anglers and business owners who feel handcuffed into utilizing it now to have any form of stability.

Ugh!! Almost managed to stay out of it this time.
 
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As long as DFO’s allocation policies of Canada’s Halibut TAC (a Canadian Public Resource ) over restricts and threatens reasonable access, all non residents should have to utilize the XRQ to retain Canadian TAC. Guided or not. Regardless of where the trip originates from.
This XRQ should only allow them to fish under Canadian regulations set out for resident anglers for that season. No longer should it create another tear of less restrictive rules. Canada’s recreational TAC Should be for Canadian TAC payers first.

As it is now there are resident anglers and business owners who feel handcuffed into utilizing it now to have any form of stability.

Ugh!! Almost managed to stay out of it this time.

The use of the transfer program has double in canada and alaska in the last two years.

IPHC Regulatory Area 2B (Canada: British Columbia) IPHC Regulatory Area 2B operated under a 115 cm (45.3 inch) maximum size limit, and one Pacific halibut had to be less than 83 cm (32.7 inch) when attaining the two fish possession limit with an annual limit of six per licence holder. The IPHC Regulatory Area 2B fishery remains open. British Columbia, Canada and Alaska, USA both have programs that allow recreational harvesters to land fish that is leased from commercial fishery quota share holders for the current season. In Canada, an estimated 8.16 tonnes (18,000 pounds) were leased from the commercial quota fishery and landed as recreational harvest.

IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C, 3, and 4 (USA: Alaska) A reverse slot limit allowing for the retention of Pacific halibut, if ≤ 97 cm (38 inches) or ≥ 203 cm (80 inches) in total length, was continued by the IPHC for the charter fishery in IPHC Regulatory Area 2C. In IPHC Regulatory Area 3A, charter anglers were allowed to retain two fish, but only one could exceed 71.1 cm (28 inches) in length, a four fish annual limit with a recording requirement, one trip per calendar day per charter permit, with no charter retention of Pacific halibut on Wednesdays throughout the season and 9 July, 16 July, 23 July, 30 July, 6 August and 13 August. Similar to British Columbia (Canada), Alaska (USA) has programs that allow recreational harvesters to land fish that is leased from commercial fishery quota share holders for the current season. In IPHC Regulatory Areas 2C and 3A, 34.0 tonnes (75,039 pounds) and 4.8 tonnes (10,652 pounds), respectively, were leased from the commercial quota fisheries in those areas and landed as recreational harvest.

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