Possession limits

[fshnfnatic]

too many guys focused on getting what's legally theirs, "its my limit and I'll take all of it", instead of just taking what they need.

DFO are f*cking morons, do you really trust them to put sustainable limits on everything?

Ya I can go out a rock pile every day and catch my 1 rock fish, its my legal right(when open). But that doesn't mean its ethical to pound the **** out of one area day afte day.

For the Fish hogs on here, try releasing a big fish and see how it feels. The feeling of letting a 20lb+ spring go to swim, is much better then feeling of putting it on the BBQ.

Sooo true,Poppa Swiss.I admit being a bit of a fish hog when I was much younger.Guess it was an ego thing,showin' off
the big slabs I would come home with. Then something changed for me.I just didn't feel I had to prove myself any more. I remember the first tyee I let go.My buddy I was with thought I'd lost my mind as I calmly revived it and sent it
on its way.What a great feeling that was and still feels great to release them to this day!

 

[Dennis.t]

Sooo true,Poppa Swiss.I admit being a bit of a fish hog when I was much younger.Guess it was an ego thing,showin' off
the big slabs I would come home with. Then something changed for me.I just didn't feel I had to prove myself any more. I remember the first tyee I let go.My buddy I was with thought I'd lost my mind as I calmly revived it and sent it
on its way.What a great feeling that was and still feels great to release them to this day!

Wheres the Like button?

 

[Aces]

From the South Coast meeting in Nanaimo April 5/6,2014

Transport regulations and the 'letter'. As of April 1, 2014, the 'letter' is no longer valid when transporting fish. An angler can only travel with their possession limit. Additional persons can no longer give that person a letter stating that they are transporting fish for that person. The current rules have been determined to be not legally supported. Basically the letter was making it difficult to charge poachers. DFO is working on a new framework. Questions regarding this are best directed at DFO enforcement.

Case Closed

 

[BearCove]

Sean,

Any ideas about transporting your own fish or gifting it to someone else?

I generally load up my brother when he comes out from Calgary every summer.

 

[searun]

Sean,

Any ideas about transporting your own fish or gifting it to someone else?

I generally load up my brother when he comes out from Calgary every summer.

I was at the South Coast Meeting - the C&P guys were presenting on this topic. Essentially like Shaun says they told us the current Fish Packaging & Transportation Guidelines are not following the letter of the law as defined in the Fisheries Regulations. So, bottom line is they are going forward with recommendations to the Minister to scrap the gifting of fish and transportation letters. I agree with no gifting unless the fish has been transported home and processed, but there are some issues around transportation letters. For example, often we have guests who travel together in a number of vehicles. One happens to be a pick up truck and all the coolers go into that truck. Technically they can no longer transport those fish for the rest of their party. This is a huge problem, and comes with little or no warning after folks have already planned their trips and travel arrangements.

Another issue is they were talking about the issue of fish processing. So for example, you cannot continue to fish under the regulations until you have transported all your 2 day possession to your ordinary residence. Meaning, if you drop off some of your catch, you can't fish again until you get it back from the processor. I don't know about you, but my experience with St. Jeans is there is a 6 to 8 week delay. This clearly won't work. I can just see what will happen with these processors. Their business will be severely impacted.

I think the whole issue needs considerable consultation. To date there has been NONE, with the exception of telling the SFAB at the South Coast meeting some of the issues being worked on for implementation this season with no consultation or warning.

I can certainly see we need a wholesale re-write of the regulations to modernize them. For example, a person should not be allowed to continue fishing until their catch is able to be transported back to their ordinary residence - that time to be calculated by the time it takes to drive their catch home from the fishing grounds. That would stop guys from giving their fish to another guy and continuing fishing the very next day. Thus forcing a time out for proper transportation of the catch home...if we did something like that, it would allow for transportation letters while controlling the guys who simply line up guys coming up in rotation to continue fishing while their catch is being transported by each successive group.

 

[BearCove]

Searun,

That all makes sense to me and I do agree that you should have to transport your fish to place of residence before fishing again. Not being able to let someone in your group travel with your fish home doesn't make sense. Like you said, if a group is driving home and all coolers are in one truck, this should be ok.

As for gifting and transporting your fish from your home to somewhere else. I can't seem to find or get information on whether or not this had changed.

I'm not sure how they would be able to change this transportation rule. I know that once I get my fish home, much like many other people I am sure, you skin it, cut it, package it, whatever you want with it. Now I load my truck with a freezer and start heading south. I get pulled over, they look in my freezer and they have no idea what I have, how much of any species I have all that jazz.

How do they deal with this or since I have left my place of residence with it is it OK?

Just want to make sure I am clear with this. I do send family on there way from Hardy with fish sometimes and I do not want anyone to get in trouble travelling home with it.

 

[searun]

I totally hear you. Most guys want to follow the rules, but they are confused as to what is OK or not. I think before any changes are made there needs to be a whole lot of consultation to work through all the things that most law abiding fishers do to transport their catch and process it. That way we could develop clear rules that are workable and consider what everyone needs to legally transport and package their catch.

One possible solution I had thought of for DFO to work with the guides and lodges is to issue them a catch log book. Each log page would have a serial number just like your license, and also a service provider log book number. That way the guide or lodge would record precisely the exact catch, how large it was, where it was caught and on what day, anglers license number and identification. etc. They would essentially sign off that the catch being transported was legally obtained and recorded in the angler's license. The log book would have carbon copies so one copy stays with the main log book (service provider) so that DFO can come and audit any time to keep everyone honest. The pink copy could be the client's transportation copy and must be with the fish during transport back to their ordinary residence. Problem solved for anglers who are fishing out of lodges or with guides. Plus side bonus is DFO gets good quality catch data. Win/win.

 

[profisher]

Only one problem with that searun...apparently DFO doesn't like paper copies!

 

[UkeeDreamin]

Agree 100% that there should be some consultation and that the regs need to be modernized rather than a reactionary, not so well thought out quick fix sought.

In modernizing the regs, I think the whole issue of transportation of possession limits and what effects, if any, transportation letters, gifting, getting it to a place of residence for processing, dropping off at a licensed processor, etc, etc have can be avoided all together by looking instead at daily, weekly, monthly and annual limits. Such an approach would apply and regulate catch, i.e preventing what most on here refer to as fish hogs, equitably whether you're a local, at a lodge, out with a guide or a travelling angler. If you haven't exceeded your daily, weekly, monthly or annual quota, your good to transport your catch however you like, so long as it can be assessed by enforcement officials. (and yes, folks can cheat on any type of reg, not exactly hard if you're a dirt bag with the printed electronic licenses or faking transportation creds, assumption is 90+% of us are honest and the other 10% will cheat regardless).

For instance, chinook quotas could be 2/day, 4/week, 8/month and 30/season. Halibut 1/day, 2/week, 3/month, 6/season. I specifically like this approach as I have a very hard time reconciling that a travelling angler can rent a house in Ukee for a month next door to a local angler, both Canadians with the same federal salt water license but one can only possess 4 chinook and 2 halibut over that time while the other can take 30 chinook and 6 halibut. Haven't yet heard an argument or explanation on how that's fair or equitable.

Ukee

 

[Aces]

I think with the groups the vehicles have just got to travel together to avoid problems

 

[BearCove]

So from what I am reading so far it is more about the transport of your fish from where you caught it to your home. Once it is there and you have done with it what you want you can now load up as much as you want of it and take off?

Seasun,

As for your catch log book, these already exist. I have had one on my boat for 7 years. Last year DFO rammed a Section 61 down my throat that made it mandatory for me to document every single fish I caught, even the one's that were released, measure them all, clipped not clipped, you name it. From what I understand we were the only area on the coast that had to do this. Why I have no idea! That being said, this data was not to be used for my clients and their fish it was a collection system of some sort.

Anyways, I'm sure they (DFO) will figure it out (ha)

 

[ziggy]

I've always purchased an annual license so I'm curious? Do the shorter term licenses have something similar to the annual license for recording Chinook and Halibut? If so are the numbers adjusted to correlate with the shorter time period?

 

[searun]

You guys might find this interesting, especially those who are transporting fish for your buddies along with your own fish...no can do anymore.


Category(s):


RECREATIONAL - General Information,


RECREATIONAL - Shellfish,


RECREATIONAL - Salmon,


RECREATIONAL - Fin Fish (Other than Salmon)








Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans Canada






Subject: FN0478-RECREATIONAL - General Information - Clarification of "Possession Limits" for the purpose of transporting fish






This notice is to clarify the possession limits for individuals wishing to


transport sport caught fish.






The British Columbia Sport Fishing Regulations state that an individual may


have in their possession only twice the daily retention limit of any and all


species (except halibut, as prescribed by Tidal Waters Sport Fishing Licence


condition).






These possession limits apply per person regardless of who caught the fish. An
individual may transport another person’s fish as long as the total quantity of
any and all species does not exceed an individual possession limit. Possession
limits may not be combined.






An individual transporting another person’s sport caught fish must carry a


letter from that person with their signature and Tidal Waters Sport Fishing


Licence number, stating that the individual is authorized to transport the fish.






The letter must state:






The fisher’s name






- Complete address and telephone number


- Fishing licence number


- When and where the fish were caught


- The number, species and size of fish


- Name and address of recipient


- Estimated date of arrival


- Reason for transport






The person who asked you to transport recreationally caught fish should also


retain a copy of the letter of authorization.






If you are not a Canadian resident, check with customs officials in your


country for regulations concerning importation of your catch.






Note:






Tidal Water Sport Fishing Licences can be purchased via any computer connected


to the internet at


https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/nrls-sndpp/index-eng.cfm


or by using Google search key words “RecFish Licence”.






Did you witness suspicious fishing activity or a violation? If so, please call


the Fisheries and Ocean Canada 24-hour toll free Observe, Record, Report line


at (800) 465-4336.






For the 24 hour recorded opening and closure line, call toll free at


1-(866)431-FISH(3474).










FOR MORE INFORMATION:






CONTACT:


Regional: Geneviève Cauffopé 604-666-3643


North Coast: Andy Lewis 250-615-5361


South Coast: Tom Hlavac 250-756-7159






Fisheries and Oceans Canada Operations Center - FN0478


Sent June 13, 2014 at 11:09


Visit us on the Web at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca






If you have any questions or would like to unsubscribe, please contact us via e-mail to: OpsCentre@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca<mailto:OpsCentre@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca>

 

[Samnjoe]

You guys might find this interesting, especially those who are transporting fish for your buddies along with your own fish...no can do anymore.


These possession limits apply per person regardless of who caught the fish. An
individual may transport another person’s fish as long as the total quantity of
any and all species does not exceed an individual possession limit. Possession
limits may not be combined.

Another mean spirited add on for this season.
A gift to locals who have no real possession limit.
Chasing tourist dollars away from the Island.

 

[searun]

So much for the request for open consultation before making any in-season changes. I'm thinking that if we got a bunch of folks in a room together we could come up with a lot of other solutions that are far more workable. Certainly cautioned against making any changes mid season at the SFAB meetings.

 

[Squid Row]

Anyone else have any input on this?

 

[BearCove]

I am heading in to my local DFO office for some clarification today on this. I am also looking for some insight into transporting my own fish from place of residence. Can I carry more than a 2 day limit? Can it be custom cut? i.e. no skin, cut into pieces, things like this.

Also want to know about gifting. Can I give my grandparents, who are here in Hardy this week-end some of my fish from my freezer and send them home with it without them having licences or the fish being identifiable.

If anyone on here has these answers that would be great, save me a trip to DFO.

Cheers,

 

[BearCove]

Thought I would give an update on my conversation with DFO today. For starters, the lady I spoke with was rude, angry and overall unpleasant to speak with. She as upset that I was there late in the day even asking. Her first question for me was " Have you looked at our website?"

Anyways, this is what I got,

Only travel with one possession limit, whether it is yours or someone else's. You can only travel from your place of residence with a two day limit and it all has to be processed according to DFO regs. You can not travel with fish that has skin off, without tales, yada, yada. You used to be able to but not any more she told me.

As for gifting, she had no idea and had to look into it but she could not let me know till Monday. I told her that I had my grandparents up this weekend and I wanted to send some fish home with them. Did they need licences to travel with gifted fish? Am I sending my grandparents home with illegal fish this week-end? She couldn't answer any of my questions and said I had to call back Monday.

Friggin crazy that I could not get any answers! DFO is a joke! This new $hit is a joke! Not looking to break the rules just want to know what they are.

 

[oilslick]

Thanks for the update Bearcove. No where do I see in the DFO clarification letter or their regs where it states that you can only travel with 1 possession limit unless I'm misunderstanding you.
The way I read it is that you can travel with a 2 day possession with your catch or another persons catch, but not both, as long as you have all the DFO's requested information.
I guess when a crew of people go for a trip and go to the processor to get their fish proceessed, it must all stay seperate as well and you cant combine each others catch like we always do but I guess that will have to happen when you get to your residence.
To bad for the local businesses, their the ones who will lose out. As for the gifting it would be really nice to get a strait answer so we dont put our friends/family into illegal transportation situations

 

[bigdogeh]

Last time I talked with DFO on a general enquirey (and being polite) I was shocked at how rude they were to me also. Like who was I to be talking to them! left a real bitter taste in my mouth. I think they sometimes forget who's paying there wages or don't really care. at least that was the impression I got that day.