Can't Keep quiet any more

[Jencourt]

I have tried to be respectful of the process and I have gotten involved to the capacity that I am able to. (Becoming a member of my area 14 SFAC.)

The day I found out about the new slot I was very angry and those who had to endure my emails will attest to that. I did not then and do not now agree that it was the best choice. Having now been faced with the unpleasant task of having to release two beautiful Halibut that would have provided my and my nephew's family with eats for the year I am more disgusted by what is happening than ever.

I had a great weekend and I am thankful for the fish I do get to enjoy this year. The bottom line is while commercial quota holders are laughing all the way to the bank and I am being told that I should be happy with the 40 lbs (Live weight) we did get to share between the 2 families,and it should not matter that there was over 120 lbs caught , 75 of which will likely waist and become crab food. The smaller one was lip hooked and was released unharmed.

More importantly I am concerned with the fact that our process is so focused on "making the best of a bad situation" that I am beginning to think those dedicated to helping sport fishing survive have lost touch with how much we are giving up by dedicating time and focus solely to provide the most access with what we have. Enough is enough and it is high time people start to get behind the idea of fighting against the ITQ and the right to ownership that the Dumb bastards in Ottawa have given the big business of quota holding and halibut exporting. The ITQ sure as hell dose nothing to benefit the average Canadian,regardless if they fish for or buy there halibut at the store.

So yes after now seeing first hand the impact of this rule I can say with complete positivity that I absolutely disagree with the SFAB choice to recommend this. I can no longer ,out of respect for some very dedicated people that I have absolute admiration for, pretend that I understand that this was the best of the bad choices. It not only has pushed some lodges to make the choice to lease quota but it also makes guys like me feel like hanging in the ******* towel, This situation has seriously made me re think my desire to pursue my passion and the one thing I love most next to my family. This sad statement of how I feel was not created by the fact that I had to release two fish that ended up being over the large and small end of the slot.It has been there since the first slot was put in place to once again " Make the best of the bad choices available",and the unwillingness by so many to understand the long term difficulties we face. This weekend was just the final push that made me no longer willing to sit quietly and say nothing in fear that I may offend some good people.

Those who have known me or read my posts know all to well that I have been trying to get people to realize the ITQ is the long term problem/solution and getting more allocation although very necessary is only short term.

To close I will ask this one question? How much more are you willing to give up to facilitate the on going greed and corruption that runs rapid amongst the big business end of fishing, It spreads from the 10 million LBS of juvenile halibut killed and tossed by the Alaskan trawl fleet to the over allocation to commercial export. Now we see some lodges feeling like they need to buy in to it in order to survive. Keep thinking it is only about allocation and lower Canadian TAC and we will find ourselves only having access to any fishing at all if we have enough money to pay the big money guys to take us.


So HOW MUCH MORE ARE YOU WILLING TO GIVE UP?

 

[trendsetter]

Very well said Jencourt and I for one agree with you 100%. We need to work towards a long term solution not agree to sacrifices such as this for short term gain.

The minister needs to revoke the current allocation by whatever legal means necessary. Then the IPHC quota for Canada needs to be re-allocated in a way that best serves the Canadian public. The most economically effective (by far) use of this resource is a healthy full year sport fishery. The majority of Canadians benefit far more from the vastly larger tax contribution of a thriving sport fishing industry then they do from halibut being 3 or 4 dollars cheaper per pound at the grocery store.

Agreeing to short term "solutions" to extend the seasons under the current system is counter productive to a long term permanent solution, which should in my opinion be the priority.

 

[Jencourt]

The majority of Canadians benefit far more from the vastly larger tax contribution of a thriving sport fishing industry then they do from halibut being 3 or 4 dollars cheaper per pound at the grocery store.

It has been my understanding that the price is more as a result of the ITQ not less. Price is set by international willingness to pay for the 90-95 percent that is being exported
combined with the fact that most of what is fished commercially has to be leased first

 

[trendsetter]

It has been my understanding that the price is more as a result of the ITQ not less. Price is set by international willingness to pay for the 90-95 percent that is being exported
combined with the fact that most of what is fished commercially has to be leased first

Yes, I'm sure that's true but the local price would still go up slightly if BC commercial catch was reduced. The price / availability of halibut for Canadians is always used as a bargaining chip by the commercial lobby. If you give British Columbians the choice between lower taxes or cheaper halibut I'm pretty sure which they would choose.

My point is a long term solution means re-allocating the TAC to the more beneficial industry for Canada, which is the sport fishing industry. With the proper amount of TAC allocated to sport fishing all these issues would disappear.

 

[wolf]

THERE is and was in my opinion VERY bad decisions being made regarding this and trust me I FEEL THE pain ive always said "want a trophy go to Alaska"

there were (again my opinion) people who "looked after themselves in this matter and didn't look at it in the whole picture for ALL of B.C. they F&$%ed it for all aspects you know who you are.....
AND if you think its going to get better well good luck its gonna be worse once DFO does something it never goes back ex: Barbed hooks and coho enough said....

Wolf

 

[Fish Assassin]

Being that there is now a barbed treble hook stuck in his throat and it was just a bit over I would have killed it..You likely already did. No doubt in my mind that sucker would have been on ice rather then being turned into crab bait.

Way to go DFO/SFAB smart thinking.......

 

[bigbruce]

So what was the trade off? A longer season, if I understand correctly. Surely people who made this recommendation understood that there was going to be situations where fishers were going to have to release large fish. However, in their infinite wisdom, again if I understand the situation correctly (and I might be way off) the decision to have size limit was to both ensure the big breeders, which in most cases are not all that great to eat anyway, live on and to ensure the season lasts a little longer.
So now we have someone who catches a big fish that he can't keep early in the season complaining. My assumption is that if this "compromise" had not been reached he might have been able to keep his big fish but might have had to stop fishing in July.
It's pretty clear, folks, that we are not going to be able to have it all ways.

 

[SerengetiGuide]

This slot limit for halibut, recommended by the SFAB will be the number 1 turning point in history of the demise of the sport and recreational fishery of British Columbia.

I said this right when it happened. They were saying it was to extend season to prevent leasing...look how that turned out and anyone who actually thought about it for an hr would figure out it would increase it. Every reason given by sfab for this choice has completely backfired and I firmly believe it could have been prevented with some better foresight

 

[Bod]

Jencort. I don't think there is anyone happy about the slot limits we have this season. Even the ones you say "voted" for this to make the best out of a bad situation can not be happy with it. 300,000 rec licenses were sold in BC last season and how many fishers that bought a license voiced there opinion? I don't like it, and don't know anyone that does, we all know we need more of the TAC to get a decent season period!
You say you have done all you can? I don't think so. Don't give up. Send the emails and letters and get your non-fishing people to understand the situation and voice there opinions also.
But don't beat on the people that work hard to keep the sport fishery alive( Not just Halibut) in BC. United we can win the battle.

 

[Jencourt]

I hear where you are coming from Ken and I do not disagree with you. I did not post this thing lightly or with the intent of beating on the main board members. quote from my post " out of respect for some very dedicated people that I have absolute admiration for" I did so because I do not feel we do anyone a service by not being completely honest about our opinions and as long as done so respectfully and from an informed and accurate position it can be helpful. I tried to convey my admiration and respect for those guys. One of which sits on the same SFAC as I.

Thing is we all start fishing during the season then it ends. DFO and IPHC short time us and everyone gets pissed all over. we need to keep talking about it and doing the things we need to do during the season and not just when we do not like what we are given. By we I mean the masses of ordinary rec anglers. I know the boards are always working. So no I am not beating on them but I am not going to sugar coat it and say I agree when I do not.

quote "Don't give up. Send the emails and letters and get your non-fishing people to understand the situation and voice there opinions also" I agree fully and have telling anyone who will listen for the last three years. I also have been saying all along the key is to educate and enlist fishers and non fishers alike.

At the end of the day all I really want is for people to start working on the real issue and stop settling for short term solutions as I feel we are trapped in a cycle of scramble and adapt to work the season that is upon us and each time we do so, no matter how well ,we loose more. and the big picture stays the same.This I feel is forced on us by Ottawa and the guys who benefit most by the current ITQ system.

 

[SerengetiGuide]

Apparently we aren't planning on getting more % until 2015. Which I think is again a dumb idea as by then the amount of people leasing will be crazy high, especially if we stay at 60lb max or 1/1 even (but to a lesser extent)

 

[reelfast]

treble hooks for halibut, you have to be kidding!!!!!!!

or you folks could have a 12 day season like those of us in MA6 and keep anything you can hook. the 'good old days' are dead, get used to the fact that resource extraction is not an unlimited game. which would you vote for, more days or a slot limit????

all that said, i thought the slot limit was such a great idea aimed at preserving those breeder female fish, i used it this year on my side of the line as a one person attempt to protect our shared resource. one fish that was brought up and parallel to the hull, we marked the spot, was over 60", she was cut loose with a cheer from the crew on board. may she produce a couple million eggs and continiue the DNA of big fish.

by the way, a two hook rig made up of single point barbless circle hooks is all you need.

 

[SerengetiGuide]

Reel, it'd be an ok idea if those that catch 85% of the fish had to let them go too. This is the point. The amount of breeders the rec sector catches is a drop in the bucket compared to the commercial sector. I'm quite sick, like jencourt, of hearing, best of bad choices...considering the amount of economic significance the rec sector has, we should have a lot more than just a few bad choices.

 

[bigbruce]

Reel, it'd be an ok idea if those that catch 85% of the fish had to let them go too. This is the point. The amount of breeders the rec sector catches is a drop in the bucket compared to the commercial sector. I'm quite sick, like jencourt, of hearing, best of bad choices...considering the amount of economic significance the rec sector has, we should have a lot more than just a few bad choices.

You're right SG. According to the link attached, in terms of GDP value, the recreational fishery is worth a bit more than the commercial fishing/processing industry - but as you point out, the allocations do not reflect this.
However, just because the commercial guys don't have to let the big females go, does that make it right that the recreational's should be able to keep them? Two wrongs and all that. I can't help but recall all of the congratulations that went to our Washington friend who caught and kept that big one a few days ago. No doubt another big female lost to the breeding equation. And a whole lot of meat that will probably be pretty tough to eat.

http://www.sfu.ca/geog/geog351spring09/group01/fishery_econ.html

 

[SerengetiGuide]

Any Cdn citizen should have the choice whether or not to let it go.

 

[trendsetter]

You're right SG. According to the link attached, in terms of GDP value, the recreational fishery is worth a bit more than the commercial fishing/processing industry - but as you point out, the allocations do not reflect this.
However, just because the commercial guys don't have to let the big females go, does that make it right that the recreational's should be able to keep them? Two wrongs and all that. I can't help but recall all of the congratulations that went to our Washington friend who caught and kept that big one a few days ago. No doubt another big female lost to the breeding equation. And a whole lot of meat that will probably be pretty tough to eat.

http://www.sfu.ca/geog/geog351spring09/group01/fishery_econ.html

BB this is not about conservation this is about allocation. All conservation measures are taken into account by IPHC before the total weight of halibut is allocated. While there may be a small side benefit of rec fishermen not keeping large halibut it is not something that affects the viability of the fishery.

 

[Jencourt]

treble hooks for halibut, you have to be kidding!!!!!!!

or you folks could have a 12 day season like those of us in MA6 and keep anything you can hook. the 'good old days' are dead, get used to the fact that resource extraction is not an unlimited game. which would you vote for, more days or a slot limit????

all that said, i thought the slot limit was such a great idea aimed at preserving those breeder female fish, i used it this year on my side of the line as a one person attempt to protect our shared resource. one fish that was brought up and parallel to the hull, we marked the spot, was over 60", she was cut loose with a cheer from the crew on board. may she produce a couple million eggs and continiue the DNA of big fish.

by the way, a two hook rig made up of single point barbless circle hooks is all you need.

First of all. No I will not get used to it. Why would I do that ,so I can let them keep exporting it all out of the Country so very few already rich people can get richer while those doing the actual work hang on until it is all gone.And us sporties can get knocked back to a 12 day season like you. I do not think so Sir.

Secondly. The reasoning for the slot had nothing at all to do with saving breeding females.It was nothing more than what was considered to be the best way to restrict the amount of pounds caught in a given amount of time.That then should allow for a longer season than if left to allow large fish to be removed. Add to this the consideration that human behavior and shift in angler effort would be less of a factor in skewing the numbers with this option than others on the table and the decision was reluctantly accepted. No conservation was not a factor outside of it being a way for some to justify it.

I tried to find a quote before responding but could not. It was a quote taken from the IPHC website I believe??? Not 100% positive the source but it quoted the IPHC as saying something to the affect of this. and again this is not an exact quote."the amount of halibut caught by sport fisherman is small enough that if the sport sector was to stop catching large females it would have no measurable impact on conservation of the species."

lastly as far as what hook I use, not relevant to the situation but to address your statement. I am aware of both the pros and cons to using circle hooks.

 

[calmsea]

What reelfast and bigbruce are forgetting in their "conservation" dream world is that any big breeder cut loose by the rec fleet will very soon be dangling dead on a long line hook. Now that is effective conservation, right?

 

[Sculpin]

I think your just butt hurt Ray lol! Sorry I couldn't resist .

I hear you on the keep talking about it thing. Keeps it in the lime light so to speak. Don't give up man. The frustration is shared by all.

Cheers,
John

 

[Jencourt]

I think your just butt hurt Ray lol! Sorry I couldn't resist .

I hear you on the keep talking about it thing. Keeps it in the lime light so to speak. Don't give up man. The frustration is shared by all.

Cheers,
John

Ha Ha Ha ,Thanks for the laugh John. Actually it is my head that hurts. I walked head first into my Kicker prop while unloading the boat this weekend. I hear you on being frustrated.the entire thing makes me think twice about taking expensive trips to the west side for halibut anymore though.

Cheers