Derby
Crew Member
Halibut decision expected any day
By Jeremy Maynard
The Ardent Angler
The west coast recreational fishery has been awaiting two decisions about halibut in the run up to the 2012 season, these being the results of the review of the inter-sectoral allocation policy between the commercial and recreational sectors and the final determination of Canada’s total allowable catch (TAC) for this year. The former is by far the most important of the two for several reasons, and should be known anytime soon, but last Friday the overall harvest ceilings for each fishing area within its jurisdiction were announced at the conclusion of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) annual meeting, held this year in Anchorage.
To be shared amongst all user groups, at 7.038 million pounds the 2012 halibut TAC for Canada (IPHC Area 2B) represents a reduction from last year of 612,000 pounds. Not a good news story but better than it could have been; some readers may recall the pre-Christmas news that IPHC staff were recommending a 2B TAC of 6.63 million pounds so obviously the Canadian delegation (including Chuck Ashcroft from the Comox Valley) were persuasive in making the case for a higher amount.
The lower allowable catch ceiling is because the halibut resource continues to go through a phase of lower productivity throughout its range in the northeast Pacific Ocean. Research indicates there are in fact lots of halibut in the water, resulting from two successive highly productive spawning seasons about a dozen years ago, but growth and recruitment to a harvestable size continues to be much slower than those rates observed over the long term.
With lots of smaller halibut competing with each other for the same food resource, compounding the situation there has been a significant increase in the Arrowtooth Flounder population at the same time. A far less desirable flatfish, they compete with halibut for the same food sources across much the same range.
So now we know how much halibut in aggregate Canadian’s are allowed to catch this year, what we don’t know at this point is how much will be allocated to the recreational fishery. It is upon this calculation that decisions regarding start and end dates for the season as well as bag and possession limits will be made. Under the present 12% recreational catch share ceiling, the 7 million pound TAC would translate into a short and not very sweet season for anglers, but this simply demonstrates the need for change in the allocation policy.
And the present situation of not knowing what the regulations for the recreational halibut season, which traditionally opened Feb. 1, are detrimental to recreational fishing interests of all kinds. Resident anglers can’t make plans about when they might go halibut fishing, tackle stores don’t know how much related tackle to order and those offering a service (guides and lodges) at peak marketing time can’t tell prospective clients when or how many halibut they might be able to catch this year.
Stay tuned, the results of the halibut allocation policy review lead by MP Randy Kamp should be made known any day now.
Like the original allocation policy announced in October 2003, those in Ottawa will determine any change, not regional DFO staff. This includes both politicians and senior departmental staff at national headquarters. Ordinarily interactions between the latter and fishermen like me are infrequent at best but recently I got a glimpse into the thinking that drives fishery considerations at the highest level.
The occasion was a daylong session about fisheries modernization entitled “A Discussion on the Future of Canada’s Commercial Fisheries”. Held in Vancouver and lead by two assistant deputy-ministers (ADM’s) from Ottawa as well as senior regional staff, despite the topic a broad range of fishery stakeholders (First Nations, commercial and recreational fishery and NGO’s with an interest in fisheries management) were invited to attend and provide comment on the presentations. I was there as one of several representatives of the recreational fishery selected from the Sport Fishing Advisory Board. As part of a national fisheries initiative, this session was the latest in a series of meetings held in cities around coastal Canada.
This is not the place to get into the subject matter but those participants from outside the commercial fishery were there because all fisheries are inter-related and so management actions within one should be considered in context of the others; the present commercial-recreational halibut allocation issue is but one example.
In the midst of his initial presentation, Kevin Stringer, the ADM for Program Policy stated, “uniquely here in BC the relationship between commercial and recreational fisheries has to be considered.” To me this is a good news/bad news story. The good news is, obviously, the positive emphasis on considerations for the regional recreational fishery and, although Mr. Stringer didn’t reference it, is merely an affirmation of Principle 6 of the Recreational Vision document signed in both Ottawa and Victoria two years ago and which states that the needs of the recreational fishery will be explicitly considered in integrated fishery management plans.
The bad news, as I see it, is that outside BC where DFO has responsibility for fisheries management the recreational fishery is out of luck and all available evidence seems to support that view. As an angler don’t expect to go fishing for halibut or tuna or lobster or snow crab in Atlantic Canada, to use but a few desirable examples.
After First Nations Section 35 FSC requirements have been assured, 100% of the remaining TAC for these species is allocated to the commercial fishery – always has been and likely always will be unless someone is brave enough to take up a lengthy and expensive legal challenge for non-commercial fishing Canadians to have access to their fair share of what is supposed to be a common property resource.
Well it isn’t going to be an angler from this part of the world, but what this narrative does emphasize is the challenge the angling community here faces when trying to get a favourable decision on any matter pertaining to the recreational fishery from those in Ottawa. Opportunities we largely take for granted in the Pacific region are evidently unknown elsewhere in Canada and against this background it’s little wonder the halibut allocation issue has taken the course it has; I guess we were supposed to feel grateful the recreational fishery got 12% at all.
By Jeremy Maynard
The Ardent Angler
The west coast recreational fishery has been awaiting two decisions about halibut in the run up to the 2012 season, these being the results of the review of the inter-sectoral allocation policy between the commercial and recreational sectors and the final determination of Canada’s total allowable catch (TAC) for this year. The former is by far the most important of the two for several reasons, and should be known anytime soon, but last Friday the overall harvest ceilings for each fishing area within its jurisdiction were announced at the conclusion of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) annual meeting, held this year in Anchorage.
To be shared amongst all user groups, at 7.038 million pounds the 2012 halibut TAC for Canada (IPHC Area 2B) represents a reduction from last year of 612,000 pounds. Not a good news story but better than it could have been; some readers may recall the pre-Christmas news that IPHC staff were recommending a 2B TAC of 6.63 million pounds so obviously the Canadian delegation (including Chuck Ashcroft from the Comox Valley) were persuasive in making the case for a higher amount.
The lower allowable catch ceiling is because the halibut resource continues to go through a phase of lower productivity throughout its range in the northeast Pacific Ocean. Research indicates there are in fact lots of halibut in the water, resulting from two successive highly productive spawning seasons about a dozen years ago, but growth and recruitment to a harvestable size continues to be much slower than those rates observed over the long term.
With lots of smaller halibut competing with each other for the same food resource, compounding the situation there has been a significant increase in the Arrowtooth Flounder population at the same time. A far less desirable flatfish, they compete with halibut for the same food sources across much the same range.
So now we know how much halibut in aggregate Canadian’s are allowed to catch this year, what we don’t know at this point is how much will be allocated to the recreational fishery. It is upon this calculation that decisions regarding start and end dates for the season as well as bag and possession limits will be made. Under the present 12% recreational catch share ceiling, the 7 million pound TAC would translate into a short and not very sweet season for anglers, but this simply demonstrates the need for change in the allocation policy.
And the present situation of not knowing what the regulations for the recreational halibut season, which traditionally opened Feb. 1, are detrimental to recreational fishing interests of all kinds. Resident anglers can’t make plans about when they might go halibut fishing, tackle stores don’t know how much related tackle to order and those offering a service (guides and lodges) at peak marketing time can’t tell prospective clients when or how many halibut they might be able to catch this year.
Stay tuned, the results of the halibut allocation policy review lead by MP Randy Kamp should be made known any day now.
Like the original allocation policy announced in October 2003, those in Ottawa will determine any change, not regional DFO staff. This includes both politicians and senior departmental staff at national headquarters. Ordinarily interactions between the latter and fishermen like me are infrequent at best but recently I got a glimpse into the thinking that drives fishery considerations at the highest level.
The occasion was a daylong session about fisheries modernization entitled “A Discussion on the Future of Canada’s Commercial Fisheries”. Held in Vancouver and lead by two assistant deputy-ministers (ADM’s) from Ottawa as well as senior regional staff, despite the topic a broad range of fishery stakeholders (First Nations, commercial and recreational fishery and NGO’s with an interest in fisheries management) were invited to attend and provide comment on the presentations. I was there as one of several representatives of the recreational fishery selected from the Sport Fishing Advisory Board. As part of a national fisheries initiative, this session was the latest in a series of meetings held in cities around coastal Canada.
This is not the place to get into the subject matter but those participants from outside the commercial fishery were there because all fisheries are inter-related and so management actions within one should be considered in context of the others; the present commercial-recreational halibut allocation issue is but one example.
In the midst of his initial presentation, Kevin Stringer, the ADM for Program Policy stated, “uniquely here in BC the relationship between commercial and recreational fisheries has to be considered.” To me this is a good news/bad news story. The good news is, obviously, the positive emphasis on considerations for the regional recreational fishery and, although Mr. Stringer didn’t reference it, is merely an affirmation of Principle 6 of the Recreational Vision document signed in both Ottawa and Victoria two years ago and which states that the needs of the recreational fishery will be explicitly considered in integrated fishery management plans.
The bad news, as I see it, is that outside BC where DFO has responsibility for fisheries management the recreational fishery is out of luck and all available evidence seems to support that view. As an angler don’t expect to go fishing for halibut or tuna or lobster or snow crab in Atlantic Canada, to use but a few desirable examples.
After First Nations Section 35 FSC requirements have been assured, 100% of the remaining TAC for these species is allocated to the commercial fishery – always has been and likely always will be unless someone is brave enough to take up a lengthy and expensive legal challenge for non-commercial fishing Canadians to have access to their fair share of what is supposed to be a common property resource.
Well it isn’t going to be an angler from this part of the world, but what this narrative does emphasize is the challenge the angling community here faces when trying to get a favourable decision on any matter pertaining to the recreational fishery from those in Ottawa. Opportunities we largely take for granted in the Pacific region are evidently unknown elsewhere in Canada and against this background it’s little wonder the halibut allocation issue has taken the course it has; I guess we were supposed to feel grateful the recreational fishery got 12% at all.
