Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia Recreational Halibut Fishery

[MILLERTIME]

SFI continues to strive towards a fair and reasonable approach to Halibut allocation

Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia
Recreational Halibut Fishery
Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 11:03 AM
subject The Halibut Issue

As many of you now know, the recreational halibut fishery is set to close on September 5th. As you may also be aware, this is a result of the allocation of halibut between the commercial and recreational sector and has nothing to do with conservation. Halibut stocks are in good shape, very well managed in Canada and internationally, and there is a large amount, 2.4 million pounds, still remaining on Canada's total allowable catch for 2011.

The SFI will continue to strive towards a fair and reasonable approach to allocation and to protection of recreational angler's expectation and opportunity to retain halibut throughout the entire season and for all Canadians. You may have heard Rob Alcock, President of the SFI, on CBC or seen Martin Paish on A-Channel responding to a recent press releases that provided misleading information that the September 5th closure had something to do with conservation. Further, the release and some recent related stories imply that the lodge and charter sector is taking more halibut than ever before, there is no evidence that this is true and isn't an accurate statement. The Pacific Halibut Management Association (PHMA) release also explained that 94% of the halibut caught by the recreational sector is done so by September 1st. If that were the case, then an adjustment to allocation to provide even an additional 1% of TAC to the recreational sector would allow for ongoing expectation and opportunity (ability to retain at least one halibut) which is critical for the sector. The essential needs of the recreational fishery are not shared by the commercial sector, as the PHMA explains; they are willing to "lease" access to our public resource because they have lots to work with! Again, conservation has nothing to do with this issue!

The SFI is doing a number of things to seek a good resolution to this ongoing misunderstanding and unfair allocation. A press release in response to the closure and recent stories regarding the topic was issued by the SFI, see below. As a long term strategy to protect sport fishing interests and opportunities, the SFI is continuing to work with Fisheries to determine ways to provide better and a more complete picture of recreational fishing impacts. Our sector has made significant strides in improving information provided about all fisheries; an essential and worthy exercise that will help to maintain long term sustainability and aid in stock management. A result of these ongoing improvements is a better understanding of our sectors impacts on halibut. By providing a clearer and more detailed picture of recreational catch we can not only help in long term sustainability efforts but to argue that the 12% allocation was not and is not appropriate. In addition, considering comparisons of economic benefits derived from the commercial and recreational fisheries, the SFI is working to build on studies that have demonstrated the worth of the recreational fishery generally but also halibut in particular to make it clear that our very modest impact on the halibut TAC is extremely valuable (part of recreational fishing's $1.2 billion annual contribution to the BC GDP) in comparison to commercial benefits.

The social impacts of the interrupted access and short notice closure of the recreational halibut fishery are unnecessarily damaging for the future of the many businesses that are associated with sport fishing. Ordinary angling British Columbians who would potentially catch halibut during the shoulder season are also unnecessarily and unfairly impacted by the closure.

For a number of years but particularly during this past fall and winter, members of the SFI and many others spent countless hours, wrote thousands of letters to government and organized town hall meetings attempting to dispel misconceptions about the halibut issue. These efforts culminated in a statement made by Prime Minister Harper in Campbell River just before the May election that DFO would work towards a viable solution to the issue for 2012. While this is encouraging and we plan to continue to make it clear that the present circumstances are inappropriate and damaging to the entire sport fishing community, sport fishing businesses and individual angler alike, it does not help us this season and is only aggravated by misleading information being provided by the commercial sector.

We will keep you up to date on this issue and will continue to work towards a fair, equitable and sustainable solution.

Owen Bird
Executive Director, Sport Fishing Institute of BC

 

[chris73]

You are starting to see past the fog, bonneville. Keep thinking...

 

[Fish-Hunter]

Bonnevillebounty, you are hitting it right on the head here. If a customer service representative is not giving you the service you demand, you move up the ladder to the manager or the owner right??? So let's move on up to the next level.

Not to cloud the issue at all, but here in BC we have just gone through an example that the government put policy onto the people (HST) and the people struck back and pro-verbally told them to stuff their policy. We can do the same with DFO, we just need to unite, and if DFO won't listen, then hopefully the Federal politicians have been paying attention to what just went on in BC and hopefully they will listen to us on the Halibut issue. We have to take the fight to them, not wait for them to bring the fight to us! We all have to remember that they work for us, not us for them, and they seem to need a reminder of this point!

People all around the world are getting fed up with injustice and being taken advantage of and then expected to just shut up and take it and hand over our tax dollars at the same time. Well people are starting to fight back and take a stand all over the place, just take a look at the news. It is time that our leaders started to pay attention before they have anarchy on their hands.

Hell look at the how hard it is for them to control the people when even relatively small numbers take to action, a crappy but representative example of this was over the loss of a god damned hockey game, imagine what it would be like with a lot more people and over an issue as important as Halibut!!!

Someone back east had better open their eyes here soon, cause we are going to be coming for you if you don't. You can only push a man so far before he strikes back, after all we are not all like Gandhi on this earth.

 

[chris73]

... but here in BC we have just gone through an example that the government put policy onto the people (HST) and the people struck back and pro-verbally told them to stuff their policy. ...Well people are starting to fight back and take a stand all over the place, just take a look at the news. It is time that our leaders started to pay attention before they have anarchy on their hands....

But didn't we also have the perfect opportunity to oust a few stubborn MPs, who are supporters of the hali quota deal and fish farms, at the federal election this year? And how did that go? Hmm. First all our crying and raging and allegedly burning of party membership books etc and then when we had a chance to show them the door, what happened then? Most had other priorities such as a strong loyalty to the Conservative Party or economic interests in general. What do you think how that was received by those politicians? Yeah, me thinks they now know they can get away with anything that pisses us off. Why would they now care to listen to us at all? Face it, we blew it and it will take many more HST's to repair this loss of respect.
The thing is, if you threat then you'd better be able to pull through or you will be the laugh of the year once they call your bluff. And we got called badly.

 

[Herbivorian]

The DFO should not be the only ones to blame. The SFI (the illustrious organization whose members include many of the unscrupulous lodges) represents more of the industry side of sportfishing than us recreational anglers who go out on their own and can no longer get a halibut. The lodges and their wealthy clients access what is estimated to be 60% of the 12% allocation given to recreational fishers. Not only do the lodges catch a much higher amount than the average angler, but many of the lodges have started anchoring on a regular basis thus targeting many of the larger breeding females. Just go to Langara Island and witness what goes on at one of the lodges there. If they continue pulling out such large halibut on a regular basis rather than educate their guests on what they are doing, the stock will have challenges in the future. If they really cared about the stock, these greedy lodges would stop anchoring and release large breeding females rather than use them to sell another trip for next year.

 

[GLG]

Holmes is right on the money.
Perhaps Herb dude should do more reading and less smoking.
GLG

 

[Cuba Libre]

Naw-- trolls cant read...............

 

[chris73]

...but many of the lodges have started anchoring on a regular basis thus targeting many of the larger breeding females. Just go to Langara Island and witness what goes on at one of the lodges there. If they continue pulling out such large halibut on a regular basis rather than educate their guests on what they are doing, the stock will have challenges in the future. If they really cared about the stock, these greedy lodges would stop anchoring and release large breeding females rather than use them to sell another trip for next year.

LMFAO... All lodges combined in a full year may not take as many large female halis as the commie fleet in one day when they are at it. It's absolutely stupid to even bring this up, Herbi! Stop chewing ice cubes, brain freeze is already taking its toll on you!