fishingbc
Active Member
More crap from David Boyes
The commercial fishery is on edge this week, as saltwater anglers give government another hard-push for a larger share of B.C. halibut.
"We are angry and nervous," said Lyle Pierce, a commercial fisherman out of Courtenay.
"(Recreational fishermen) are trying to overturn a decision to get more fish, but we all want more fish. There isn't a lot to go around right now."
There's been a 50 per cent drop in fish quota in the last five years, said Pierce, who helps determine the total allowable catch for the Pacific Halibut Commission.
When there was 11 million fish to go around no one had a problem with government policy. With numbers now slimming down to 7.25 million, however, both sectors are suffering hard blows and looking for solutions. The commercial fishery has taken a 45 per cent cut to their sector while the recreational fishery saw shorter seasons and reduced catch limits.
"We are both feeling the pain, so it seems absolutely wrong to take fish from one side to give to the other," Pierce said.
Recreational anglers on the North Island are meeting in Campbell River for the fourth town hall tour, Wednesday. The rallies are geared towards persuading government to change its policy, which currently offers recreational anglers 12 per cent of the catch and the commercial fishery, 88 per cent.
Sport anglers are reaching their allocation sooner each year as the industry grows, prompting the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to cut seasons short. Two out of three years had short seasons and this year is expected to be no different. Fishermen expect the season to be curbed by mid-July, the peak time for the recreational sector.
Unpredictable closings is making it tough for lodges and charters to book advance trips for tourists and tackle shots don't know many orders to make. If this continues there could be economic havoc, members of the recreational sector say.
"There are 100, 000 anglers out there spending money in this province for food, campsites, lodges and gear, but that's all in jeopardy with these early closings," said Bryan Allen, of the Courtenay Fish and Game Club.
"It could really have an impact on B.C."
The sport fishermen say the solution is to give them a larger percentage of the catch, which would stretch the number of days they could fish. But that will come at the expense of the commercial fishery. The DFO can't expand the total allowable catch, meaning one sector will have to shrink, so another can grow.
It's not the mom and pop operators that are bumping up the catch limits, but the burgeoning lodge and charter industry, said Dave Boyes, a commercial fisherman out of Courtenay.
"We're two commercial ventures that are valuable parts of the B.C. social fabric and economy. We take the halibut to the people and lodges and charters take the people to the fish," he said.
" If lodges want to continue to grow they need to be in the same game we are of buying or leasing quota, instead of riding on the coat tails of the recreational industry."
Boyes estimates lodges and charters pull in 69 per cent of the sports halibut fishery allocation, leaving 31 per cent for the average angler. If they started to buy and sell as other commercial ventures do, other anglers would see a longer season.
It's not a move the recreational industry is unfamiliar with. Boyes sits on the Halibut Management Commission of B.C., and has seen anglers spend $1.8 million leasing fish from the commercial sector since 2008. Why not continue? he said.
"I don't think their argument makes sense and they're definitely not telling the whole story," he said.
"I just hope this (town hall meeting) doesn't change the status quo. Our livelihoods depend on our allocations."
tcunningham@comoxvalleyecho.com
The commercial fishery is on edge this week, as saltwater anglers give government another hard-push for a larger share of B.C. halibut.
"We are angry and nervous," said Lyle Pierce, a commercial fisherman out of Courtenay.
"(Recreational fishermen) are trying to overturn a decision to get more fish, but we all want more fish. There isn't a lot to go around right now."
There's been a 50 per cent drop in fish quota in the last five years, said Pierce, who helps determine the total allowable catch for the Pacific Halibut Commission.
When there was 11 million fish to go around no one had a problem with government policy. With numbers now slimming down to 7.25 million, however, both sectors are suffering hard blows and looking for solutions. The commercial fishery has taken a 45 per cent cut to their sector while the recreational fishery saw shorter seasons and reduced catch limits.
"We are both feeling the pain, so it seems absolutely wrong to take fish from one side to give to the other," Pierce said.
Recreational anglers on the North Island are meeting in Campbell River for the fourth town hall tour, Wednesday. The rallies are geared towards persuading government to change its policy, which currently offers recreational anglers 12 per cent of the catch and the commercial fishery, 88 per cent.
Sport anglers are reaching their allocation sooner each year as the industry grows, prompting the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to cut seasons short. Two out of three years had short seasons and this year is expected to be no different. Fishermen expect the season to be curbed by mid-July, the peak time for the recreational sector.
Unpredictable closings is making it tough for lodges and charters to book advance trips for tourists and tackle shots don't know many orders to make. If this continues there could be economic havoc, members of the recreational sector say.
"There are 100, 000 anglers out there spending money in this province for food, campsites, lodges and gear, but that's all in jeopardy with these early closings," said Bryan Allen, of the Courtenay Fish and Game Club.
"It could really have an impact on B.C."
The sport fishermen say the solution is to give them a larger percentage of the catch, which would stretch the number of days they could fish. But that will come at the expense of the commercial fishery. The DFO can't expand the total allowable catch, meaning one sector will have to shrink, so another can grow.
It's not the mom and pop operators that are bumping up the catch limits, but the burgeoning lodge and charter industry, said Dave Boyes, a commercial fisherman out of Courtenay.
"We're two commercial ventures that are valuable parts of the B.C. social fabric and economy. We take the halibut to the people and lodges and charters take the people to the fish," he said.
" If lodges want to continue to grow they need to be in the same game we are of buying or leasing quota, instead of riding on the coat tails of the recreational industry."
Boyes estimates lodges and charters pull in 69 per cent of the sports halibut fishery allocation, leaving 31 per cent for the average angler. If they started to buy and sell as other commercial ventures do, other anglers would see a longer season.
It's not a move the recreational industry is unfamiliar with. Boyes sits on the Halibut Management Commission of B.C., and has seen anglers spend $1.8 million leasing fish from the commercial sector since 2008. Why not continue? he said.
"I don't think their argument makes sense and they're definitely not telling the whole story," he said.
"I just hope this (town hall meeting) doesn't change the status quo. Our livelihoods depend on our allocations."
tcunningham@comoxvalleyecho.com
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