Topics of Interest

Improved Management Proposal for Wild Steelhead in the Yakoun River

Submitted by the Port Clements Rod & Gun Club and endorsed by the B.C.Wildlife Federations “Inland Fisheries Committee” and “Tidal Water Fisheries Committee.”

The Ministry of Environment states that they do not have the funds to administer proper monitoring or enforcement to provide for retention fisheries on Wild Steelhead.

The direction set out in the draft “Vision Document” a triparty exercise between M.O.E., D.F.O. and the S.F.A.B. is that the community will play a more active roll in protecting habitat and promoting sustainable fisheries. Therefore the Port Clements Rod & Gun Club submits the following improved management proposal for Yakoun River Steelhead.

In any fishery knowing how many fish are in a system is key to proper fish management. Determining the number of fish in a system is a costly exercise and a major stumbling block in the Ministry of Environments ability to provide retention fisheries for Wild Steelhead.

We submit that the Port Clements, Rod & Gun Club seek funding for and hire a contractor to develop a habitat carrying capacity model for the Yakoun River.Some possible funding sources would be H.R.S.D.C. ,B.C.C.F. ,Walmart Green Fund and R.B.C.. Once that work has been completed and an estimate of returning adult Steelhead is established an accurate number can be set for harvest. If additional funding can be obtained, a mark recapture study should be conducted as well.

How does one know how many fish are being harvested?

For the 2008/2009 fishing season and while funding is sought for and the habitat caring capacity model is being developed we propose permits be issued for the retention of 50 Wild Steelhead from the Yakoun River. We propose that in addition to recording a retained Steelhead on your Steelhead license. You would need to acquire a permit.

These permits would be available only to holders of a B.C. Resident Fresh Water Angling License complete with a Steelhead stamp. These permits would be available on a first come first serve bases at three distribution centers on the Queen Charlotte Islands. You would only be allowed one permit for the 2008/2009 fishing season and you must obtain the permit in person. No reservations or third party pick up.

At the end of the season the completed permit must be returned to a pre-determined mailing address. (additional information could be recorded on these permits if beneficial ie. Length, girth, sex. )

Once the habitat caring capacity model is complete the number of retention permits can be adjusted accordingly.

Enforcement or lack there of can be a challenge to proper fish and wildlife management. Often Conservation Officers are tasked with patrolling vast areas with little manpower or funding.

Continue reading Improved Management Proposal for Wild Steelhead in the Yakoun River

September 11th, 2009 | Tags: , , , | Category: Allocation, Angling Issues, Steelhead | Comments are closed

Privatization of Resource Puts Public Fishery in Jeopardy

BCWF Press Release
February 20, 2009

Vancouver – “The decision of past federal Ministers of Fisheries to restrict the public fishery to a mere 12% of the total allowable catch (TAC) of halibut for the recreational fishery will result in significant reductions in limits and fishing time for anglers in 2009. This decision will have an immense adverse impact on the economic and social benefits derived from this fishery,” B.C. Wildlife Federation president Mel Arnold announced today.

“Considering that the allocation of halibut to public fisheries in jurisdictions south and north of B.C. are 51% and 20% respectively, we can only surmise that, by restricting the public¹s allocation to only 12% of TAC, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is deliberately and capriciously trying to minimize, if not eliminate entirely, the public fishery for halibut in the Pacific region of Canada,” Arnold warned.

Continue reading Privatization of Resource Puts Public Fishery in Jeopardy

September 7th, 2009 | Tags: , , | Category: Allocation, Angling Issues, halibut | Comments are closed

Halibut: The Executive Study

History – ITQ or “ Defined Shares”

1)    For reasons of safety at sea and market stability for commercial fishermen, DFO introduced an individual vessel quota system (IVQ) some years ago in which each license holder received a share of the Canadian Total Allowable Catch (TAC) based on the average of his/her landings over a previous number of years. However, instead of leasing these quotas to commercial license holders annually and thereby obtaining rent for commercial access to this public resource, the Minister of the day decided, without any consultation with the Sport Fishing Advisory Board (SFAB), to simply “gift” the entire Canadian share of the TAC to individual halibut fishermen as Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQ’s) who qualified under the landing criteria for their private use in perpetuity. At that time the halibut catch in the public fishery was assumed to be so low that it was simply ignored. Since our fishery was to be saved “harmless” in this change, there was no need to comment. Using ITQ’s, DFO has also gifted 100% of the Sablefish and Geoduc TAC to the commercial sector. Again, the sport catch of both species is such a small percentage of the TAC’s that it was, and still is, ignored.

2)    By 2000, the commercial sector was concerned enough about the Public, Recreational Fishery, in their minds a re-allocation of their gifted quota, that they convinced DFO to strike a halibut allocation committee to establish a harvest sharing arrangement with our sector. The commercial harvesters wanted us capped at 5% of the TAC (at this time, we were unknowingly harvesting at least 7 or 8%) while we took the position that, since the resource was owned by the people of Canada, there should be no cap on the Public Fishery beyond reasonable bag/possession limits to prevent abuse of our right to harvest fish in tidal waters.

This stalemate was then turned over to an arbitrator for a decision and he recommended 9%. The DFO Minister of the day delivered an edict that capped public access to the resource at 12% of the TAC. At that time, DFO estimated our Recreational Sector was catching about 9% of the TAC, and their 12% decision, in their minds, gave us room for growth.

Minister Thibault also decided that part of the process in setting defined shares and fixed percentage allocation, any increase in catch requirements for the recreational sector beyond the 12% would have to be reached by the purchase of quota by the recreational sector from the commercial sector in a “market-based mechanism”

Unfortunately Minister Thibault, or his staff, failed to understand that the recreational community has no legal society or company, and therefore no means to raise or hold money, or purchase or lease anything.

Continue reading Halibut: The Executive Study

September 5th, 2009 | Tags: , , , , | Category: Allocation, Angling Issues, halibut | Comments are closed

Response to the David Suzuki Foundation On Halibut

David Suzuki Foundation Press Release

As a coastal resident that uses this resource to feed my family I was floored by the comments made. I could not believe what I read so I called Scott Wallace who’s name is on the bottom of the letter and ask for clarification. I questioned him about how 88% of the halibut quota was gifted to the commercial fleet with 12% going to the common property owners of this resource, public. I asked why there was opposition from the DS foundation to shift commercial quota back to public to meet their needs. I pointed out that the commercial fleet is unable to sell their entire catch and has tons of halibut in cold storage. I advised him that the commercial fleet catching and killing what they can’t sell is not conservation minded and a waste of a publicly revered and valuable resource. In the end I advised Scott that I was disgusted with his comments and lack of regard to public interest and failure to base input on true conservational merit was lacking and has now tarnished in my opinion the David Suzuki Foundation. He noted that 70% of the sport angling catch is that of the lodges. I questioned if he was a lobbyist for or worked within the commercial halibut fishing fleet as his comments appeared to be in support of the commercial interests and to that of privatizing the halibut fishery.

May 19th, 2009 | Tags: | Category: Allocation, Angling Issues, halibut | Comments are closed
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