NOAA Proposes Rule to Reduce Charter Halibut Catch

[The Fish Assassin]

quote:FA i will agree to you on a few of your points totally agree on a tag system for EVERYONE we have to get rid of all the hate for each other one rule for all people not different rules to fn/commercial/sport or charter.

Sry wolf you lost me on your first sentance. You sound so far to the right... Don't they have thoose rules in Russia, or China? One set of rules for all. Thank goodness we live in a democratic society.

Take only what you need.

 

[wolf]

FA when and this is a huge when and I doubt we will see it in our life the stocks are at where it is sustanable then lets go back to the rules of the 1800s where it was ok to feed everyone on the block!!!!!

But until that happens and the Government wants us to follow rules why not rules to ALL canadiens if it is in the best intrest of conservation then IT should apply to all peoples.

We all live here for a reason its our home.Thats got nothing to do with living in a dictatorship country at all yes we live in a democratic society if you want to really call it that it seems who yells the most gets attention!!!!! The real goal should be us uniting to stop the bleeding somewhat and come together as the true fisherman we all are!!!!!!


Merry x-mas


Wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com

 

[daddystoy]

I've done some guiding up in the Charlottes for 2 years now. Not very long by any standards. But what I've seen in the 6 trips I've guided for are a little disturbing.
Last season there was one group in particular that all they wanted to do was bottom fish. Fair enough. But one afternoon when I walked by the cleaning table and I saw a ling cod that couldn't have been more than 2-3 pounds I was taken aback. I thought here we are up in the Charlottes and these people will take anything that bites the hook. I mentioned this to a few of the more experienced guides and they all just shook their heads as well. The best comment from one guide who I agree with is that the limits should be lowered. The whole fishing adventure should be advertised as just that, a adventure, not a meat harvesting holiday!
The problem with fisherman, the way I see it is essentially it's greed. If I catch 1 I want 2. If I catch 2 I want 4 and so on and so on.
I'll be the first to admit, it's fun to catch fish! But at some point when is enough enough.

If I go fishing with my boys and I get lucky enough to get a nice size fish I'm quite happy to call it a day. I' ve got to admit I'm not to optimistic about the future of fishing. The general trend over the past number of years is continual decline. Quite honestly I wouldn't be too suprised if the whole coast was shut down in the next 5- 10 years. Maybe a bit too pessimistic. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[The Fish Assassin]

So Wolf you obviously want 1 set of rules for all, like a socialist state. So I have to ask you, Why should I give up my right to priority access to The Resource that DFO has managed and has been fished to the verge of collapse. People like you are out there way more often than a guy like me. From the pictures I've seen you could problably fill my freezer 10 -15 times in a year with the amount of fish you pull in. But yet you somehow expect me to give up my rights is totally bass ackwards. You’re the one who is out their day after day trying to slay the slabs</u> with total disregard for the resource. Why should I allow myself to be on the same playing field as you? All I utilize my rights for is to put food on my table. You far exceed my rights with your priviledge as it is.

Take only what you need.

 

[wolf]

FA your really not getting the point!!!!!but I will agree to disagree with you because you do bring up valad points and you have debated clean and fair.but
I am only a means for a person to come here and experience a west coast adventure and if they get fish thats a bonus YOU have never ever or will your ever hear me say "come get a limit" or "the biggest slab"I have over the years of experience figured out a few tricks to catching bigger fish, you have the luxury of fishing when ever you want the people I take out BUY a liscence just like you and I so the have the "RIGHT" to go and fish for 1 day as they alot of them just want to see what its all about "the west coast " and if they take home some fish thats really an added bonus alot of them just want to see our westcoast to see birds whales seals eagles etc.
I cant tell you how many times when I stop for them to take pic of the seals on the log boom and they turn to me and say that was the best part of the trip was seeing all the wildlife!!!!

But I have a solution for you and I emplore you and encourage you to do so because this process will get it to the top brass of DFO.
Draw up a draft and get a hold of Chris Bos (ill send you his e-mail when your ready)to give him the heads up and he will schedule you in for YOU to personally bring forth a motion of what your concerns and solutions to what you want to see or be done so this would be for you to personally have a say to all of BC what you WANT to be done for our fishery at the next SFAB meeting which he represents YOU as the...............
"SPORT FISHING ADVISORY BOARD" president along with the executive (notice it doesnt say charter/guide board)then you can say you personally greased the wheel of a very sticky wheel of the democratic socity we live in.

please someone else step in with points of views.

good luck and merry x-mas Wolf


Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com

 

[jimbob]

I agree with Wolf and the other guides.

Too often recreational anglers (like me) are content to sit back and let others such as the guiding community "do the heavy lifting" when it comes to representing the interests of all sport fishermen. If we don't turn up at meetings then we have no real right to complain. It's just like an election. If you don't vote then you give up your right (in my view) to complain.

I hate the prospect that we will face major restrictions in the coming years becuase fishing is the most important part of my life after family of course. However, no one in their right mind can seriously argue that such restrictions are not needed if we are to protect the resource.

The interests of the guiding community and receational anglers are very similar. If we drive wedges between us then we will play into the hands of the commercial sector and make life that much easier for DFO.

 

[reelfast]

FA, your take on this is very limited in scope. if, in fact, you are subsistence fishing and that is your stance, well more power to you. 'taking what you need' is a traditional way of fishing and i don't suspect anyone posting here is taking issue with your actions.

that is, however, not the native american fishery i see in action. i see bank to bank net sets 7 days/wk. i see the tide ebbing and fish high and dry, rotting, on the gravel bars. i see wild fish being sold commercially into more than willing markets. this is the native american fishery i deplore and rail against. it the chase for the dollar, not subsistence fishing, which is contributing to the decline of our fisheries.

and, of course, this applies with equal weight to the non-indian commercial fisheries as well. but even so, these folks are far more regulated than the native american fisheries. FA, best you look around at what is actually happening each and every day of the year.

treating all commercial fishing with equal sets of rules and regulations, no matter your lineage, is the one and only way to attack this part of the problem. your heritage may give you a 'right' to subsistence fish, it does not, IMHO, give you or any one else the right to pillage a declining resource.

as far as guides go, i have also seen the boat loads of fish being brought back. of course without blood on the deck, the guiding fleet worries that their customer base will evaporate. so kill, kill, kill till the sun goes down.

the commerical guides i use refuse to kill ANY wild fish, period. they will tell you that upfront and enforce the release of any wild fish that are brought in, their businesses thrive. people are becoming aware of the dangers with extraction industries and the fact that you can't simply keep extracting without paying the piper.

any commercial charter i would choose to use will be asked, up front, their policy on wild fishes. if they are not released, i won't book with them.

sport fishepersons also bear a large part of the load. just how many salmon/bottom fish/halibut can a person 'use' in a years time? its an interesting question for each of us to address and deal with. more often than not, i find myself thinking about whats in the freezer and whether to simply cut that fish i caught loose.

no one sector of the fishing community is immune from criticism or eventual restrictions. it really comes down to what are EACH of us doing or willing to give up on to insure the continued existence of fish stocks.

happy holidays to all of you.

 

[The Fish Assassin]

quote:treating all commercial fishing with equal sets of rules and regulations, no matter your lineage, is the one and only way to attack this part of the problem.

Take only what you need.

 

[wolf]

So fa what have you decided to do???


Wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com

 

[Gunsmith]

Well I am still new here and when I get out of line I still get a smack on the back of the head. I still have a point of view and like to express it. There are lots of views but I think that the group decision should be to protect the resource.
I have almost $300,000. invested in a boat and a lot to lose.
Crazy... maybe also single with a dream.
We have to wake up sooner or later and as individuals we are not much. As a group we are powerful. We could do something as a group and we might not have much more openings. Wolf is right on many points and a lot of us are not sure but we are afraid to let go of anything we have for fear of not getting it back.
From when this was just a dream for me to now the situation sure has changed.
When I first started bank fishing on the Skeena river 20+ yrs ago my friend told me to make the most of it because it would be around for long and to a point he is right.
Enough gloom and doom let us hope and pray for those that do that a better new year lies in wait for us.

 

[The Fish Assassin]

quote:Originally posted by wolf

So fa what have you decided to do???


Wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com

Well Wolf, here's what I'm going to do. To go along with DFO's conservation efforts I'm going to suggest to Mr Paul Sprout (who happens to be a dear freind of my late father whom he worked with for over 20 years) That sports fishing limits be reduced to 1 Spring a day (2 possession) and that if sports fishermen or thier guests want a second fish then a $5 tag be provided for them to buy. The money could go directly back to the local hatcheries. Anything else you would like me to add?

Take only what you need.

 

[wolf]

Sounds great but it wont go back into the hatchery program.Do you realise that out of the 1 chinook stamp fund we get 1 dollar back to go to hatchery programs, for the west coast now thats a joke. get 6 bucks to the governement which is supposed to go directly to salmon and we get a fantastic return of a lousy $1 wahhhoooo

I really wouldnt have a problem with 1 fish per day like I have said in the past but lets be realistic whats that going to do with an annual limit???
If you want it to stay at 20 fish per year well what does 1 fish per day accomplish???nothing really keep it at 2 per day as people who do come here to fish and IF there are lucky enough to go home with 4 fish they have put alot of money into coming here so they should have there 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now if you are truely going concerened and want to go after sportfisherman and charters you need enforcement to stop liscened people from taking more than there annual limit period. it is getting abused way tooo much and this has nothing to do with charterfisherman getting liscened anglers there fish.
I am talking about the guy going out almost everyday and getting salmon you are only allowed 20 fish thats it and I see guys all summer and then hear them bragging about how great winter fishing is (not on here)they are fishing personally many many days a year hhhhhhmmmmm and getting fish almost every time out, and the number is way more than 10 times in a year there going out fishing.I know of many people doing this, we all do.

You dont have to be a rocket scientist to know what they are NOT doing, hence we need inforcement maybe some boats confiscated or heavy fines need to be implemented.


Wolf

Blue Wolf Charters
www.bluewolfcharters.com

 

[Gunsmith]

Excellent point, with the governments cutting back on protection of the fish but putting tag money into general revenues to build their fat pensions, we are being bent over the barrel without the aid of vaseline!

 

[goldfish]

It is more often than not these guys who go fishing as many days as possible are abusing their rights.A local charter guy goes out alone almost every day ,rain or shine and is very rarely skunked.He feels it is his right and keeps him on the fish incase he has a paying guest.He lives alone and could never eat what he catches,feels that release is out of the question as it will most likely die. What can we do about these guys.As you said,it is so rare to see an officer check a boat these days. I know from experience that we used to almost expect an inspection either while fishing or on the way in.That hasn't happened in at least 15 yrs.I'm not out any less then back then so obviously policing is very lax. I like the tag idea like hunting. a limit on how many per person,traceable serial numbers. I have bought some commercial halibut and they each had a tag with a number on it that was traceable back to the boat that caught it.They have been doing it for more than ten years so they must have the bugs worked out.Charter operators could have special tags for guests.They presently land 69% of the BC sports halibut and it seems that isn't a fair amount. If they had a different licence ,then they could buy commercial quota and access it even if the recreational limit had been reached and their season was closed.With reducing catch limits for all sectors, this would give some much wanted stability to their business plans and they would be able to buy or rent commercial quota to keep their paying guests paying even when in season closures happened.The private angler would have to charter them if he wanted to catch a halibut.Of course the SFAB or charter sector would be against this as they need the voter numbers of the sporties to get their way with potiticians and would have more accountability than they want. DFO would have a better idea of actual extractions if they took back unused tags and subtracted that from tags sold. This would also be a good way for govt. to fund the buying of commercial quotas to increase the sports quotas.This might save us from the 100% cameras the comm guys have to put on.That seems too much like BIG BROTHER andI don't know how they can live with it. Sorry for being so long winded

 

[powder]

Good points Wolf,I have wondered as well about the lack of enforcement. The way the system is set up a person can just go get a new lic. when the current one is filled up. It is on the honour system to fill in the fish caught on the new card. Thats why it does not work. You can not count on everyone being honest. More enforcement as Wolf stated is a place to start, but I suspect the funding for such is not there. I think as sportsmen its up to all of us to realize we all need to play by the rules, limits and annual rententions are there for a reason. Maybe more of us have to be proactive when we see abuses.

 

[fish4all]

quote:Originally posted by reelfast

FA, your take on this is very limited in scope. if, in fact, you are subsistence fishing and that is your stance, well more power to you. 'taking what you need' is a traditional way of fishing and i don't suspect anyone posting here is taking issue with your actions.

that is, however, not the native american fishery i see in action. i see bank to bank net sets 7 days/wk. i see the tide ebbing and fish high and dry, rotting, on the gravel bars. i see wild fish being sold commercially into more than willing markets. this is the native american fishery i deplore and rail against. it the chase for the dollar, not subsistence fishing, which is contributing to the decline of our fisheries.

and, of course, this applies with equal weight to the non-indian commercial fisheries as well. but even so, these folks are far more regulated than the native american fisheries. FA, best you look around at what is actually happening each and every day of the year.

treating all commercial fishing with equal sets of rules and regulations, no matter your lineage, is the one and only way to attack this part of the problem. your heritage may give you a 'right' to subsistence fish, it does not, IMHO, give you or any one else the right to pillage a declining resource.

as far as guides go, i have also seen the boat loads of fish being brought back. of course without blood on the deck, the guiding fleet worries that their customer base will evaporate. so kill, kill, kill till the sun goes down.

the commerical guides i use refuse to kill ANY wild fish, period. they will tell you that upfront and enforce the release of any wild fish that are brought in, their businesses thrive. people are becoming aware of the dangers with extraction industries and the fact that you can't simply keep extracting without paying the piper.

any commercial charter i would choose to use will be asked, up front, their policy on wild fishes. if they are not released, i won't book with them.

sport fishepersons also bear a large part of the load. just how many salmon/bottom fish/halibut can a person 'use' in a years time? its an interesting question for each of us to address and deal with. more often than not, i find myself thinking about whats in the freezer and whether to simply cut that fish i caught loose.

no one sector of the fishing community is immune from criticism or eventual restrictions. it really comes down to what are EACH of us doing or willing to give up on to insure the continued existence of fish stocks.

happy holidays to all of you.

excellent post reelfast. proper accounting in all fisheries is a must.