Now That We Know TAC, What Should 2014 Limits Be?

[GDW]

For the record I live close to the halibut grounds and do not think 1/1 is good I want others to keep a second fish if they choose. It does take a lot of effort to visit the coast.

DFO needs to get rid of the "print your own license" deal too. An honour system with a bunch of fishermen?

Solution: online sale lets you print a temporary copy good for 10 days then your real license is mailed. Raise cost by $2 for online purchase to cover admin costs.

 

[spring fever]

I visit the WCVI 10 to 15 times a year usually for 3 to 4 days at a time. I don't specifically target hali but I usually get them trolling and don't really consider myself a hali fisherman. Having said that-whatever happens I would like to see a 2 day possession limit-after all I'm over there for 3 to 4 days. I don't want to have to keep round fish or do some fancy jiggery-pokery fillet job with a piece of tail attached and wondering if you got it right. Keep it simple-number of fish per year-,no slots. When yer done yer done!!!

 

[GLG]

But wasn't it just a couple days ago you wanted 1/1. The shoulder is a good option but that stupid 83cm fish is still there. How do we raise that with out losing the second fish during the rest of the season?

I did say I would rather have 1/1 then 1/2 at 112cm if we had low TAC we now may have more TAC.

Given the choice between 1/2 slot of 112cm (40lb.) and 1/1 any size.
I'll take my chances and go for 1/1, you never know I might just make a memory.
These slot's are taking the fun out of fishing.
I sure hope we get more TAC but I have my doubts.

I also said....

So what's better to harvest... two thirty pound female or one 60 pound female?
Would it not be better to get a cross section of sizes and not single out one size?
Was there not an IPHC study on this topic a few years ago.
From memory didn't they find that keeping large fish did not damage the biomass.

Are we also targeting and keeping small females that have not spawned yet.
My info says the halibut need to get to 25 to 30 lbs before they mature.
That can't be good.....
A least when you keep a 60lb female she has spawned many times before harvest.

and....

Something to think about from IPHC 2014 bluebook

Estimates of recreational removals have historically not included any estimates of mortality associated with captured and subsequently discarded halibut (Williams 2014). During 2013, estimates of recreational discards were produced for the fishery in Areas 2C and 3A (S. Meyer, ADFG; letter to the IPHC, 13 November, 2013). That analysis indicated that additional mortality on the order of 2-3% of the retained catch might be reasonable given the regulations currently in place. With no direct estimates for other regulatory areas, and little comparability among regulations currently and historically in place, it is difficult to hypothesize what magnitude of total coast wide recreational wastage might be plausible. Therefore, a simple sensitivity of adding 5% to all recreational removals in all years was conducted. This revealed that for the coast wide stock assessment there was no appreciable change in the estimated spawning biomass time-series (Fig. 13). Further evaluation into proxy estimates for each regulatory area, as well as sensitivity of harvest policy application to recreational wastage will be explored in future analyses.

And this....

Discards. Currently, very little is known about the size/age of discards for some directed fisheries. In addition, the increasing use of size restrictions in sport fishery management to more fully achieve harvest goals increases discards, but data collection programs are lacking, and implications to the IPHC harvest policy are unclear

I see these slots as more damage then good for our sector.
I would like DFO to bump up the 2nd fish size also.

Targeting small fish can't be good... agreed
I would rather release a small fish then one that is an inch over the limit.

Like I said this is my preference......

 

[Fish Assassin]

The shoulder is a good option but that stupid 83cm fish is still there. How do we raise that with out losing the second fish during the rest of the season?

Can you answer that?

 

[SerengetiGuide]

According to dfo voodoo math I don't think we can really raise the 83cm option FA...they say even a small raise bumps the amount used up a lot...again, according to their math.

 

[Fish Assassin]

Ya their math..... So let's have a season May1st-Nov1st and raise that 83cm fish.

 

[spring fever]

Seems to me if you are only allowed 6 fish most hali fishermen will not take a fish under 83cm under the existing rules. They would rather just take the one fish up to 60 lbs and do it 6 times. Using my logic (could be dangerous) that would mean that the poundage for those 6 fish could be higher than if you dropped the 83cm rule rule entirely and just went with the 6 fish and the 126cm slot. How many real hali fishermen(I'm not one) will take a fish under 83 cm and have it count as one of their annual 6???

 

[SerengetiGuide]

Using that logic 1/1 doesn't affect many either.

Either way, shoulder for the win!

 

[spring fever]

Using that logic 1/1 doesn't affect many either.

Either way, shoulder for the win!

Ok I went through the whole thread-and can't see where you gave a specific account of what you consider a shoulder season to be. I don't disagree with you-may be easy to enforce-Just explain how you think this shoulder season with limits might work, Por favor!!

 

[SerengetiGuide]

Sorry spring. It is on the options given by dfo for sfab to consider. So what it is, is March-June it is same regs as 2012, 1 per day, 2 possession with one under 83cm and one any size. Then in July and August when salmon are running like crazy it is 1 per day, 1 possession, any size. Then September-December it is back to 2012 regs of 1 per day, 2 possession, one under 83cm, one any size.

 

[spring fever]

So the shoulder scraps the 126cm slot? I could live with that!!

 

[SerengetiGuide]

Yes...and other than july/aug still get two fish

 

[GLG]

Can you answer that?

Closest would be option H (2011 season rules 1/2 no slot) but we would need 1.4 million lb TAC.
That would be a full season. I'll do the math on your other idea and post.

So let's have a season May1st-Nov1st and raise that 83cm fish.

dropping those months would pickup 60K pounds.
Not much there.....

 

[SophiaB]

I think some you are all forgetting, that the 83cm fish accounts for very little of the actual TAC used the way it sits. Im sure there are exceptions to the rule, but I doubt many go spending a day trying to find a 10 lber after killing their first fish. Basically even though the current regs say 1/2 with a max size of 126 and 83. It is really 1/1 with a max size of 126.

 

[GLG]

Basically even though the current regs say 1/2 with a max size of 126 and 83. It is really 1/1 with a max size of 126.

Agree 100% well put, thanks for your input

 

[Jencourt]

First off for me it has been the shoulder option all along. I liked it best out of last years choices and I like it best out of this years options. I know some will say not fair to limit july aug to one fish wen we are talking about the peak of our tourists.

I feel that for July and August the big draw is salmon and there are so many options for variety in bottom fish and salmon that being able to keep only 1 Hali of any size is not a deal breaker to anyone. Remember the second fish is only a max of 83cm anyway. I agree with Dave that the shoulder option provides the most opportunity( short of 1/2 no size limit on either fish) for all portions of our sector.

I agree with GLG and others that getting away from the slot is the best. I do not like the slot , I especially do not like having to deal with all the measuring and packaging rules to provide proof of size.Most importantly I do not like how frustrated many folks are becoming with how complicated it is becoming. I know the shoulder option still has the under 83 for the shoulder months. At least with the 1 under that fish is so small it can easily be kept on the round in a cooler to be cut once we get home. Also easy to deal with from a measuring stand point

Secondly. An observation about the small fish and the discussion about getting rid of it or raising the size. For the last few years to my understanding the coast wide average WPU has been very near the 12lb mark. I seem to think the same was true or just slightly higher prior to the 83cm thing as well. May very well be wrong on this point. Anyone???
I know that some areas that do not have the concentration of folks catching Hali while targeting salmon,but known for the halibut fishing more will average higher. None the less the numbers say it is an average weight per fish of 12ish lbs.

If this is not correct please bi all means correct me . Anyway just trying to sort how raising it a little would change much considering how many smaller fish must be getting harvested to keep the average so low?

My two cents for what it is worth

Yes SophiaB it has seemed to be no better than a 1/1 for me also except wen we got off shore for salmon and hit the odd chicken while fishing the bottom 20feet,

 

[Confused]

1/2 for the whole season, what ever that may be. Again that summer shoulder option benefits local anglers for the most part. For the rest of us canadians that have to travel, july and august is when we do most of it. I have always hired a charter, it is expensive to travel and charter. i want the option of 2 fish.

Again priority for me is 1 and 2 for the whole season, season length and slots are secondary, within reason of course.

It perplexes me that with the proposed tac that people are asking for a lower possesion limit....... I can live with the slot sizes....even raise them a bit if there is an opportunity to do so.

 

[wolf]

BANG on confused!!!!!!!! the extended season benefits the people living on the coast NOT the rest of Canadians, YES i have the luxury of living "on the grounds" and can tell you ill have fish in the freezer soon enough we are only allowed 6 if you can get that in 7 months cmon.....REALLY
With the amount that we have allegedly left in the water the slots can definitely be readjusted we had a season that went all the way to dec......

It wasnt that long ago we were allowed 2/3 any size now seems the fisherman are "happy" to get whatever they give us...people you really need to not be happy at ALL about this!!! its really not fair at all. PLEASE no hate mail......

 

[SerengetiGuide]

80lb slot I could live with. Not 70

 

[ziggy]

I often wonder how many people who buy licenses are the "rest of Canada" I keep hearing about? Is it significant? It might be a question that needs to be answered when determining some of the caveats everyone is offering up?