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http://www.canada.com/turn+halibut+battle+takes+beating/4144498/story.html
300 turn out for halibut battle, DFO takes beating
By Dan MacLennan, Campbell River Courier-Islander January 21, 2011
There was no lack of opinion or emotion, only a shortage of compromise as hundreds attended a halibut allocation meeting in Campbell River Wednesday.
Roughly 300 people gathered at the Maritime Heritage Centre for two hours of finger pointing. Sport fishers demanded a larger share of the total halibut catch and blamed commercial fishers. Commercial fishers refused to surrender quota for the benefit of "fat wallet" American clients of fishing lodges. The only common ground was found in attacks on Ottawa and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Since 2003 DFO has regulated halibut fishing through a quota system where 88 per cent of the total catch goes to the commercial fishery and 12 per cent to the sport fishery. But since DFO allowed the sport fishery to exceed the 12 per cent limit last year by 112,000 pounds, there are fears that amount will be taken out of this year's recreational quota. That's cast much uncertainty over a season set to begin Feb. 1, uncertainty DFO has yet to resolve.
Wednesday's meeting was sponsored by the BC Sport Fishing Coalition, including the BC Wildlife Federation, various guide associations, gear suppliers and others.
"This coming season is probably going to be a disaster for all of us," said Paul Rickard of the BC Sport Fishing Advisory Council. "The allocation is unfair and inadequate. Twelve per cent of the total allowable halibut catch for 100,000 public anglers, and 88 per cent for 435 private businessmen who now own that quota. Only 136 actually go out and fish. The rest sit at home, collect very nice lease payments and enjoy the bounty they were given. This is what we are calling 'slipper skippers.'"
He said DFO's solution, that the recreational sector buy quota from the commercial sector, is unworkable and unrealistic.
"We think that the public deserves fair access to their fish, that they should be able to fish for a full season, they should be able to predict that this will happen year after year, and they should know what the catch limits will be."
Businesses connected to the recreational halibut fishery have seen a loss of business. Deryk Crefting, owner of a Vancouver tackle company, suppling gear to individuals, guides and lodges, said he sold 32,000 halibut leaders in 2008, 25,000 in 2009, 13,000 in 2010. He projected sales of 7,000 this year.
"And that's just leaders," he said. "I'm not going into the rods, reels, gear, line, everything else that goes into the process of catching halibut. We need stability in this fishery to be able to do our jobs, to supply everybody with the stuff they need to go and catch these fish."
Guide Jeremy Maynard said stability of opportunity is fundamental to a healthy sport fishery.
"And we have no idea what that opportunity is going to be in 2011," he said. "For a common property resource that's simply not acceptable."
He warned the situation will get worse as the quota system spreads.
"What goes for halibut will go for all other fin and shellfish species," he said. "So if you don't like it for halibut, you won't like it for salmon, prawns, crab, ling cod and so on. So it's really important that this policy gets changed."
Lodge owners and guides fear prospective clients will simply go elsewhere as long as uncertainty surrounds the 2011 season.
Commercial fishers also attended the meeting in numbers.
"You started the leasing program (when the recreational sector leased their uncaught share back to the commercial fishers in 2004 and 2005)," said Steve Lewis. "The commercial sports lodges and charter boats are catching 70 per cent of your 12 per cent allocation. It's the big boys that are taking your fish. It's really simple for you lodge/charter people. You're really greedy. You want more fish on a low abundance year. The commercial sport lodges and charter vessels are in for one hell of a fight, because we aren't giving in."
Lyle Pierce rejected talk of 'slipper skippers' and gifted quotas.
"You're talking about a thousand families that you're trying to take away a living from," he said. "We can't sit down. We won't sit down. There is no free gift in our industry. It's cost us thousands and thousands, if not millions, to buy into this and you're asking to take it away."
Tempers flared after Steve Ordano took the microphone, saying the average commercial halibut quota was only 14,000 pounds.
"How much of that are you going to take away before a guy can still make a living in this business?" he asked.
"You've got 88 per cent," said someone in the crowd. "Take it from there." Other's joined in.
"Shut your mouth," Ordano snapped back. "Shut up or get up here (at the microphone)."
Ordano said he represented 1,000 families in Campbell River who buy his halibut.
"What kind of a country is it when one guy with a fat wallet from Montana can take priority over 1,000 Campbell River families?" he said.
Tofino's Jay Mohl was among those to reject the 'fat wallet myth', saying the vast majority of clients are Canadian.
"What's extremely frustrating is we're looking at a fishery that is likely to end - if nothing is changed - right at the time where the fishery is the safest, most reliable and is our highest economic generator."
Mohl turned the spotlight to Vancouver Island North MP John Duncan.
"If he doesn't show up and try to be part of fixing something that is not working for many people here, then I feel very confident that he's going to go the way of the dodo in the next election," Mohl said.
Duncan released a statement yesterday. (See page 13.)
Redden Net owner Tim Hobbs was among the last to speak, offering a summation of the two-hour meeting.
"Our problem isn't 12 and 88 per cent," he said.
"It's a lack of any balls in Fisheries and Oceans Canada. They don't come up with any answers to any questions from either sector. They don't come up with anything because they're bureaucrats.
"The fight isn't us, you against me, my food fish against your commercial fish, it's divide and conquer by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and that's the people we've got to hit. Our politicians, they're not going to do anything until the bureaucrats tell that they can do it.
"They just want to get elected again and the biggest thing is, they're all from urban centres. They don't know what it is like to go out fishing. They don't know what it's like to be on Vancouver Island.
"I am a Canadian. And I don't like being divided."
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News
300 turn out for halibut battle, DFO takes beating
By Dan MacLennan, Campbell River Courier-Islander January 21, 2011
There was no lack of opinion or emotion, only a shortage of compromise as hundreds attended a halibut allocation meeting in Campbell River Wednesday.
Roughly 300 people gathered at the Maritime Heritage Centre for two hours of finger pointing. Sport fishers demanded a larger share of the total halibut catch and blamed commercial fishers. Commercial fishers refused to surrender quota for the benefit of "fat wallet" American clients of fishing lodges. The only common ground was found in attacks on Ottawa and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Since 2003 DFO has regulated halibut fishing through a quota system where 88 per cent of the total catch goes to the commercial fishery and 12 per cent to the sport fishery. But since DFO allowed the sport fishery to exceed the 12 per cent limit last year by 112,000 pounds, there are fears that amount will be taken out of this year's recreational quota. That's cast much uncertainty over a season set to begin Feb. 1, uncertainty DFO has yet to resolve.
Wednesday's meeting was sponsored by the BC Sport Fishing Coalition, including the BC Wildlife Federation, various guide associations, gear suppliers and others.
"This coming season is probably going to be a disaster for all of us," said Paul Rickard of the BC Sport Fishing Advisory Council. "The allocation is unfair and inadequate. Twelve per cent of the total allowable halibut catch for 100,000 public anglers, and 88 per cent for 435 private businessmen who now own that quota. Only 136 actually go out and fish. The rest sit at home, collect very nice lease payments and enjoy the bounty they were given. This is what we are calling 'slipper skippers.'"
He said DFO's solution, that the recreational sector buy quota from the commercial sector, is unworkable and unrealistic.
"We think that the public deserves fair access to their fish, that they should be able to fish for a full season, they should be able to predict that this will happen year after year, and they should know what the catch limits will be."
Businesses connected to the recreational halibut fishery have seen a loss of business. Deryk Crefting, owner of a Vancouver tackle company, suppling gear to individuals, guides and lodges, said he sold 32,000 halibut leaders in 2008, 25,000 in 2009, 13,000 in 2010. He projected sales of 7,000 this year.
"And that's just leaders," he said. "I'm not going into the rods, reels, gear, line, everything else that goes into the process of catching halibut. We need stability in this fishery to be able to do our jobs, to supply everybody with the stuff they need to go and catch these fish."
Guide Jeremy Maynard said stability of opportunity is fundamental to a healthy sport fishery.
"And we have no idea what that opportunity is going to be in 2011," he said. "For a common property resource that's simply not acceptable."
He warned the situation will get worse as the quota system spreads.
"What goes for halibut will go for all other fin and shellfish species," he said. "So if you don't like it for halibut, you won't like it for salmon, prawns, crab, ling cod and so on. So it's really important that this policy gets changed."
Lodge owners and guides fear prospective clients will simply go elsewhere as long as uncertainty surrounds the 2011 season.
Commercial fishers also attended the meeting in numbers.
"You started the leasing program (when the recreational sector leased their uncaught share back to the commercial fishers in 2004 and 2005)," said Steve Lewis. "The commercial sports lodges and charter boats are catching 70 per cent of your 12 per cent allocation. It's the big boys that are taking your fish. It's really simple for you lodge/charter people. You're really greedy. You want more fish on a low abundance year. The commercial sport lodges and charter vessels are in for one hell of a fight, because we aren't giving in."
Lyle Pierce rejected talk of 'slipper skippers' and gifted quotas.
"You're talking about a thousand families that you're trying to take away a living from," he said. "We can't sit down. We won't sit down. There is no free gift in our industry. It's cost us thousands and thousands, if not millions, to buy into this and you're asking to take it away."
Tempers flared after Steve Ordano took the microphone, saying the average commercial halibut quota was only 14,000 pounds.
"How much of that are you going to take away before a guy can still make a living in this business?" he asked.
"You've got 88 per cent," said someone in the crowd. "Take it from there." Other's joined in.
"Shut your mouth," Ordano snapped back. "Shut up or get up here (at the microphone)."
Ordano said he represented 1,000 families in Campbell River who buy his halibut.
"What kind of a country is it when one guy with a fat wallet from Montana can take priority over 1,000 Campbell River families?" he said.
Tofino's Jay Mohl was among those to reject the 'fat wallet myth', saying the vast majority of clients are Canadian.
"What's extremely frustrating is we're looking at a fishery that is likely to end - if nothing is changed - right at the time where the fishery is the safest, most reliable and is our highest economic generator."
Mohl turned the spotlight to Vancouver Island North MP John Duncan.
"If he doesn't show up and try to be part of fixing something that is not working for many people here, then I feel very confident that he's going to go the way of the dodo in the next election," Mohl said.
Duncan released a statement yesterday. (See page 13.)
Redden Net owner Tim Hobbs was among the last to speak, offering a summation of the two-hour meeting.
"Our problem isn't 12 and 88 per cent," he said.
"It's a lack of any balls in Fisheries and Oceans Canada. They don't come up with any answers to any questions from either sector. They don't come up with anything because they're bureaucrats.
"The fight isn't us, you against me, my food fish against your commercial fish, it's divide and conquer by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and that's the people we've got to hit. Our politicians, they're not going to do anything until the bureaucrats tell that they can do it.
"They just want to get elected again and the biggest thing is, they're all from urban centres. They don't know what it is like to go out fishing. They don't know what it's like to be on Vancouver Island.
"I am a Canadian. And I don't like being divided."
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News
