Some people are getting all twisted because they see a few mini bus loads of Asian tourists having a good time on a few of the accessible beaches where they rake a limit of clams and pick a limit of oysters. In the Comox valley , the tour guide sometimes set up a portable BBQ and the group will have a fresh oyster lunch on the beach. What a great Canadian experience for them! When DFO has checked these tourists, they were in full compliance with the regs. Remember-- its in the tour guides best interest to make sure that everybody plays by the rules. In fact, there is a much bigger opportunity for LOCALS to abuse the regs than the tourists. The solution is more enforcement and ORR if you see someone getting greedy. As far as lowering limits--NO. Once we give up something, we will never get it back. And realistically 75 manilas just make a chowder big enough for two dinners and a lunch. 15 oysters is a good limit, but it is not threatening the resource where I cruise the beaches. Now-- the idea of a size limit on clams has been floated around the SFAB-- this is nonsense . Take the 25 butters, or 75 littlenecks and manilas and go home-- less disturbance to the beds that way.
