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Halibut fishermen decry early season closings
MARK HUME
VANCOUVER— From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Dec. 13, 2010 8:52PM EST
Last updated Monday, Dec. 13, 2010 8:56PM EST
Using improved global positioning technology that allows them to go farther off shore, sport fishermen on the West Coast have been increasingly catching huge Pacific halibut, boosting the businesses of lodges and marinas in the process.
But the Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia says the future of the fishery, and of the wilderness resorts that charge anglers up to $8,000 a week, are in jeopardy because of unpredictable fishing season closings.
The halibut fishing season, which usually runs Feb. 1 to Dec. 31, was suddenly shut down by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in October because of “conservation concerns” – despite a promise made by the DFO in 2003 to never close the sport fishery in season. The fishery is allocated 12 per cent of the catch, while the commercial sector gets 88 per cent.
It is the second early closing in three years, with the 2008 sport season also cut short.
Rob Alcock, president of the Sport Fishing Institute, said the sport fishery could close as early as July next year, right in the middle of the summer season, which draws fishermen to B.C. from around the world.
He said the unpredictability is making it tough for guides and lodges to sell trips.
“Right now, guys are phoning up to book trips for next year and they want to know, can they fish? And we can’t guarantee anything,” Mr. Alcock said. “It’s very frustrating.”
In a recent letter to Fisheries Minister Gail Shea, Mr. Alcock said the blame for the closings is a policy the DFO adopted in 2003 that splits the annual total allowable catch, or TAC, between the 436 commercial licence holders and 100,000 sports anglers.
“In 2003, when the allocation policy was created, it was created with faulty data,” Mr. Alcock said. “They assumed the sports anglers were taking about 9 per cent of the TAC, and they awarded a 12-per-cent share, anticipating some growth in the sport. But in fact 12 per cent wasn’t enough from the start.”
And the sport has been growing since then, as guides increasingly use GPS equipment to pinpoint fishing hot spots far out to sea, where halibut that can weigh more than 180 kilograms are caught.
Mr. Alcock said the Sport Fishing Institute is asking the DFO to change the 2003 policy to give the sport sector a total fixed weight, allocated at the start of the year, rather than a percentage share.
“We’re asking that each year … they give the sports sector a small number off the top, and then divide the remainder up among the commercial fishermen,” Mr. Alcock said.
In effect, the sport anglers want to be first in line for the fish, with a catch level that is static, while the commercial catch would fluctuate, going up in years of halibut abundance and dropping in years when populations are low.
“In good years, the commercial fleet would benefit, but in weaker years they wouldn’t do as well. The sports sector would stay stable,” Mr. Alcock said, “and that would give us the consistency we need.”
In his letter to Ms. Shea, Mr. Alcock said the sport fishing closing was “short-sighted and unnecessary and cannot be justified.”
But Ms. Shea replied that the sport fishery was closed early “because in-season catch information indicated that the recreational sector had achieved, and possibly exceeded, its allocation for the 2010 fishing season.”
Although the commercial fleet had caught less than its limit at the time of the sport closing, Ms. Shea said reallocating fish in season from the commercial to the sport sector wasn’t possible under the International Pacific Halibut Commission treaty, which governs Canadian and U.S. fishing.
Ms. Shea said the DFO “is committed to continuing discussions with both the recreational and commercial sectors on the development of a long-term solution.”
Paul Ryall, acting director of program delivery for the DFO, said the government is “trying to come up with some management options … that would include an allocation transfer process between commercial and recreational.”
Chris Sporer, manager of the Pacific Halibut Management Association, which represents commercial halibut licence holders, said he’s hopeful talks will lead to a solution.
“DFO’s put a lot of work in and we are in the process of evaluating options. I will leave it at that,” he said.
But Mr. Alcock said he’s worried because the talks aren’t progressing much – and the 2011 halibut season is approaching fast.
Halibut fishermen decry early season closings
MARK HUME
VANCOUVER— From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Dec. 13, 2010 8:52PM EST
Last updated Monday, Dec. 13, 2010 8:56PM EST
Using improved global positioning technology that allows them to go farther off shore, sport fishermen on the West Coast have been increasingly catching huge Pacific halibut, boosting the businesses of lodges and marinas in the process.
But the Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia says the future of the fishery, and of the wilderness resorts that charge anglers up to $8,000 a week, are in jeopardy because of unpredictable fishing season closings.
The halibut fishing season, which usually runs Feb. 1 to Dec. 31, was suddenly shut down by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in October because of “conservation concerns” – despite a promise made by the DFO in 2003 to never close the sport fishery in season. The fishery is allocated 12 per cent of the catch, while the commercial sector gets 88 per cent.
It is the second early closing in three years, with the 2008 sport season also cut short.
Rob Alcock, president of the Sport Fishing Institute, said the sport fishery could close as early as July next year, right in the middle of the summer season, which draws fishermen to B.C. from around the world.
He said the unpredictability is making it tough for guides and lodges to sell trips.
“Right now, guys are phoning up to book trips for next year and they want to know, can they fish? And we can’t guarantee anything,” Mr. Alcock said. “It’s very frustrating.”
In a recent letter to Fisheries Minister Gail Shea, Mr. Alcock said the blame for the closings is a policy the DFO adopted in 2003 that splits the annual total allowable catch, or TAC, between the 436 commercial licence holders and 100,000 sports anglers.
“In 2003, when the allocation policy was created, it was created with faulty data,” Mr. Alcock said. “They assumed the sports anglers were taking about 9 per cent of the TAC, and they awarded a 12-per-cent share, anticipating some growth in the sport. But in fact 12 per cent wasn’t enough from the start.”
And the sport has been growing since then, as guides increasingly use GPS equipment to pinpoint fishing hot spots far out to sea, where halibut that can weigh more than 180 kilograms are caught.
Mr. Alcock said the Sport Fishing Institute is asking the DFO to change the 2003 policy to give the sport sector a total fixed weight, allocated at the start of the year, rather than a percentage share.
“We’re asking that each year … they give the sports sector a small number off the top, and then divide the remainder up among the commercial fishermen,” Mr. Alcock said.
In effect, the sport anglers want to be first in line for the fish, with a catch level that is static, while the commercial catch would fluctuate, going up in years of halibut abundance and dropping in years when populations are low.
“In good years, the commercial fleet would benefit, but in weaker years they wouldn’t do as well. The sports sector would stay stable,” Mr. Alcock said, “and that would give us the consistency we need.”
In his letter to Ms. Shea, Mr. Alcock said the sport fishing closing was “short-sighted and unnecessary and cannot be justified.”
But Ms. Shea replied that the sport fishery was closed early “because in-season catch information indicated that the recreational sector had achieved, and possibly exceeded, its allocation for the 2010 fishing season.”
Although the commercial fleet had caught less than its limit at the time of the sport closing, Ms. Shea said reallocating fish in season from the commercial to the sport sector wasn’t possible under the International Pacific Halibut Commission treaty, which governs Canadian and U.S. fishing.
Ms. Shea said the DFO “is committed to continuing discussions with both the recreational and commercial sectors on the development of a long-term solution.”
Paul Ryall, acting director of program delivery for the DFO, said the government is “trying to come up with some management options … that would include an allocation transfer process between commercial and recreational.”
Chris Sporer, manager of the Pacific Halibut Management Association, which represents commercial halibut licence holders, said he’s hopeful talks will lead to a solution.
“DFO’s put a lot of work in and we are in the process of evaluating options. I will leave it at that,” he said.
But Mr. Alcock said he’s worried because the talks aren’t progressing much – and the 2011 halibut season is approaching fast.
