Change is inevitable , I'm not saying give up the fight, but lets realize theres a big machine running this....
Don't get me wrong, i'm not happy either but we have to find a way to make it work to our best advantage
until funding can be achieved to challenge this in court.
Washington state has been hit harder that us, and somehow even they manage to salvage some kind of season.
Looking for words of wisdom Charlie..... please.
Words of wisdom? From me - I will be glad to do that! About the wisest thing a Canadian can do right now is contact the Governor General and - get Harper IMPEACHED! That would actually make history as there has never been a Prime Minister in Canada impeached before. The reason would be - “loss of confidence”!
DFO is just playing the “game” as directed by Harper and his other authoritarian clones. If you don’t want to play the game anymore then take them to court and while you are at it - get your all fisheries back into “PUBLIC TRUST” for the people of Canada, where it belongs!
Washington has a VERY small halibut fishing season. You can count those days on your fingers and toes and still have some toes left over. FYI... it is better than our prawn season in Puget Sound, I can count the entire season on one finger - as in a "ONE DAY" season and it always fall on a day I can't go.
If one looks the “guided” sport slot limit in Alaska did work. It dropped the harvest by about half in 2011; of course, what some forget to mention is the number of guides and lodges that limit forced out of business; plus the local communities devastated. But, hey… the commercial sector (who lobbied for that) still maintained their 16.4 average. They are going to a “reverse slot limit” in 2012 with under 45" or over 68" and that does make more since, as those midsize breeders are the most productive. Those big old females are at or near the end of their life and breeding cycle anyway. I wouldn't worry about bonking one or eating, if you can get past all those worms.
Will the slot limit increase your season? If it doesn’t DFO will have a lot of explaining to do and will really look like a FOOL! If the average weight was reduced by three pounds, on 68,399 pieces equates to be 205,197 pounds. Theoretically, would be enough to increase the fishing to a “full season.” Good theory, but in reality - to costly to enforce, won't be monitored, and no - it really will not work. Now with that said, going back to DFO looking like a FOOL. I assure they will extend the season by just playing with the numbers and putting out their famous PR stating how great it worked. When in fact all they will do is play with the numbers and could have done that and left it 1/2.
The problem is DFO’s has NO accountability, not the size or number of halibut taken. If you can get the accountability issue fixed, you probably wouldn’t need a slot limit, going back to the 2/2.
Take a look at the Tables produced by DFO in their IPHC 2011 report. Area 1 had 8,533 biological samples, with 4,023 of those verified. Total pieces harvested was 10,125 pieces weighing 121,637 pounds. 97% of the biological samples were provided to DFO by the major lodges. I would have to think with 8,533 samples out of a total of 10,125 pieces that is 84.28% of total pieces were actually weighed. That average weight of 10.4 pounds reported has to be accurate as hell.
Looking at Area 2 things start changing. There is 3,745 biological samples and only 985 verified. The average weight is based off those at 23.84 pounds. Total weight harvested of 140,036 pounds is on an estimated 5,875 pieces, which means 63.74% of the catch was actually sampled and accurate. The rest, estimates from “overflights” and Creel Surveys. Still… I guess while not likely, it is believable to some that the halibut average weight is 13.44 pounds larger on the south end of the island. That is a BIG difference of average weights!
Don’t even get me started on Area 3 and 4. All I can say there, read the Creel Reports yourself. Those are strictly guesstimates and inaccurate numbers coming from “overflights” and “trailer counting”! If anyone is fishing that area, I would highly suggest giving those Creel surveyors information, as that very much is: **** in - **** out!
I will skip the rest; and just jump to onother of my favorites – Area 19, I guess the only thing I can only say there is - DFO did a great job with those estimates based on a TOTAL of 151 Creel Surveys. That equates to ONLY 8% of estimated pieces being confirmed and accurate information. Now since those 151 biological samples happened to average 28.81 pounds, EVERY halibut in Area 19 weighs 28.81 pounds? That is on an estimated 1,876 pieces, totaling 54,400 pounds. AND, with only 8% biological samples (real fish) DFO can accurately estimate Area 19 harvest using “overflights” and “counting trailers.”
IMHO, whether you like it or not – you really need to be completeing those surveys, doing those logbooks, and playing the game with DFO or - they WILL continue to punish you by their high estimating!
FYI… Before jumping all over the guides and lodges, some might want to check those average weights, along your reviewing the laws and regulations a little closer. The “slot limit” has very little if any effect, and for all practical puposes means nothing to lodges in Area 1; including Langara Fishing, Langara Island, and the Oak Bay Marine Group lodges. Plus, they are ALL “licenced sport-catch processors” anyway. I believe might also find and realize why all those “sport-catch processors” are so busy. There really is a difference in possession limit, transporting sport caught fish, and having anything legally processed in your possession.
“Canning, smoking, salting, or curing your catch is not allowed other than at a person’s ordinary residence,
and at commercial establishments licensed to process sport-caught fish. The business must supply appropriate documentation stating the species and the number of fish canned. Canning of non-tidal species other than salmon is not permitted.”
In a nut shell, regardless of who, what, when, and where; it is now - what it is. You are stuck with it and it is only going to get worse and probably the worse part is Harper is changing and/or trying to change all your laws to support all his really "BAD" programs. If and when he gets done - game over as the Supreme Court will uphold all those laws he is changing (e.g. his already changed your law and enviormental groups opposed to the piplines where they now fall under his new law classified as "Eco-Terrorist"!)
That enough of wisdom for one day Scott?
