Will Expanded Marine Protected Areas End Fishing on BC’s Coast?

Pretty significant issue for anyone who is a recreational fisher on the West Coast. Especially considering the ramifications of this election and what each party platform stands for! This whole MPA process has been a rail road, and when I look at those areas that have been identified for potential protection is scares the day lights out of me.
 
We already have management regimes in place we dont need MPA's. All they are going to do is focus more pressure in fewer areas.
 
The new part is they have not even implemented the 10% and the Liberals are now promising to make it 25%.

Its not something I am going to Vote for that's for sure
 
Making it an elections promise means they are getting permission from Canada citizens to implement it. It will happen very fast and is very scary.

Not arguing with you I have read thoes agendas as you have been posting about them

Very bad for our industry
 
Bc is already at 24.7%
Protected. With the initiative underway we will hit 34% by 2020. We have done our share.
 
fish4all said:
Bc is already at 24.7%
Protected. With the initiative underway we will hit 34% by 2020. We have done our share.
Click to expand...
Absolutely, and with this current Liberal government that trend is highly likely to continue when you check out the proposed EBSA's for the Pacific. Every fishing family and sector should be carefully considering their vote. If I was a paranoid conspiracy theorist, it wouldn't be a stretch to be convinced there was an agenda at play to use MPA's as a tool to close all commercial and recreational fishing.
 
searun said:
Absolutely, and with this current Liberal government that trend is highly likely to continue when you check out the proposed EBSA's for the Pacific. Every fishing family and sector should be carefully considering their vote. If I was a paranoid conspiracy theorist, it wouldn't be a stretch to be convinced there was an agenda at play to use MPA's as a tool to close all commercial and recreational fishing.
Click to expand...

I am a paranoid conspiracy theorist.
 
StormTrooper said:
Really, I wholly believe that we need Nationalism in order to make the change that Canada needs desperately.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the Donald Trump approach
Good luck with that one in Canada!!!
What you choose to ignore is the majority of people in Canada, regardless of their political affiliation, are in favor of Canada's support for the United Nations and our conservative approach to world problems.
You don't have to not "love our Country" to see the big picture of the world.
"paranoid conspiracy theorist"
Some still believe the world is flat, there is no such thing as global warming, to hell with the rest of the world and only I count.
I believe the Salt Water Sport fishery will survive with lots of opportunity, just as it did this year even with the restrictions which reduced the catch of some Sports Fishermen and Fishing Guides in particular.
Most Sports Fishermen had a great season and lots of time and fun on the water fishing.
 
Glad to hear my assumptions may be incorrect.
Yes..a lot has changed in the last 10 years and a lot will change in the next 10 years.
MPA's are a small part of the changes to come, but I predict Sport Fishermen will still have opportunities.
 
I sold my old boat in January, 2019. So glad I did.
 
I might be more supportive of MPAs - if they were the most effective fisheries management strategy. But they are likely not the most effective strategy in most areas/fisheries - and are only 1 fisheries management strategy - not all of them.

I also get a little tired and frustrated with the untested and unproven assumptions that by merely marking imaginary lines on a chart - means more fish.

The other issue I have is that we should be increasing the 2D amount of prescribed protected areas in a 3D environment to some arbitrarily & politically set amount that has no basis in the real world and real 3D temporal & spatially dynamic ocean with hotspots and critical habitat.

I see protecting things like glass sponge reefs and lingcod egg mass spawning shoals as no-brainers (as we protect female crabs for the same reasons). But the rest... I need convincing.

MPAs and their asserted no-take areas depends also on effective and consistent monitoring and enforcement year-round - which is challenging if not impossible in many - if not most areas of the coast.
 
fogged in said:
Glad to hear my assumptions may be incorrect.
Yes..a lot has changed in the last 10 years and a lot will change in the next 10 years.
MPA's are a small part of the changes to come, but I predict Sport Fishermen will still have opportunities.
Click to expand...
  • The effort and catch data numbers are still being calculated, but some of those I have seen are very clearly indicating a significant reduction in both effort and catch, and a shift in effort towards other species (halibut and ling cod).
  • Just like MPA's the inherent risk is we shift effort creating unintended consequences, and further, these measures start a death spiral for the recreational fishery as fishers look elsewhere for places to spend their time and discretionary spending budgets.
  • I predict that given the future uncertainty around recreational fishing access (non-retention or retention), people will make other plans for 2020. We have only just started to see the spin-off impacts to tourism. People who had planned coming here in 2019 were largely locked into their plans....the same can't be said for 2020.
  • I expect they could vote with their feet, so we haven't even begun to see the impacts of these ill-conceived measures.
  • And, while I'm on my soap box....we closed a number of areas for SRKW, that rarely if ever saw SRKW actually using those habitat areas....how effective were those measures??
  • We need to be a whole lot smarter about taking management measures that create a balance between responsible protection of weak stocks, while also allowing responsible access.
 
searun said:
  • The effort and catch data numbers are still being calculated, but some of those I have seen are very clearly indicating a significant reduction in both effort and catch, and a shift in effort towards other species (halibut and ling cod).
  • Just like MPA's the inherent risk is we shift effort creating unintended consequences, and further, these measures start a death spiral for the recreational fishery as fishers look elsewhere for places to spend their time and discretionary spending budgets.
  • I predict that given the future uncertainty around recreational fishing access (non-retention or retention), people will make other plans for 2020. We have only just started to see the spin-off impacts to tourism. People who had planned coming here in 2019 were largely locked into their plans....the same can't be said for 2020.
  • I expect they could vote with their feet, so we haven't even begun to see the impacts of these ill-conceived measures.
  • And, while I'm on my soap box....we closed a number of areas for SRKW, that rarely if ever saw SRKW actually using those habitat areas....how effective were those measures??
  • We need to be a whole lot smarter about taking management measures that create a balance between responsible protection of weak stocks, while also allowing responsible access.
Click to expand...
Agreed.
Your most important point is the first one.
The Halibut catch is well below last year and the average.
The reduction in effort and catch of Chinook in particular is exactly what DFO wanted.
Having said that the short season allowed for excellent fishing in the area's I and my friends are familiar with, Sidney, Oak Bay, Sooke, Renfrew and the Alberni Canal and Bamfield had good to great fishing and was not closed.
 
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Anybody read the two attached PDFs?
 
I am glad no one is taking this seriously as I read the 50ft view comments. Oh well going to be a surprise I guess coming up. My only hope is the liberal government is not in power when they try to implement. Wait till they roll out South Island...:eek:
 
The allocation policy is also going to start being negotiated and reviewed. Not something I look forward to have happening while the liberals are in power.

There is still lots more coming im sure in the spring will find out all about it.
 
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