[5-Salt Fever]

While not being a citizen of Canada I can help but think the below is a MAJOR concern for Sports Fishers throughout BC

Found the below on another BC board:


Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQ's) are eroding our rights to fish for a resource that belongs to the general public. Recently, 88% of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) has been arbitrarily awarded to the commercial fleet. Now the groundfish TAC off the west coast might be 100% awarded to the commercial fleet. Read the following that I have come across:

AN URGENT MESSAGE

An issue has arisen this past weekend which must be explained and must be acted upon by individual sport fishers in Canada.

The new Minister of Fisheries, Loyola Hearn is about to sign a document which will give the Commercial Industry Caucus (CIC) the rights to 100% of the groundfish on the west coast of Canada. Salmon will soon follow. Each commercial fisherman is going to be deeded a right toharvest in what will be referred to as an ITQ (Individual Transferrable Quota).

We, in the fisheries committees system in BC, the Fly Fishing Federation, Drift FishersFederation, BC Wildlife Federation and other non-governmental groups (NGO’s) includingAboriginals will have to buy quota (fish) from the commercial quota owners. The only availableoption for sport fishers will be increased cost on their recreational fishing liscenses.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this issue as our fundamental rights are beingstripped away. I give you a quote from the minister who is from Newfoundland:
“Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are sick and tired of seeing their resources beingdeveloped for the benefit of others. From now on, we must assure theat the primebeneficiaries are the people of our great province.” If the Minister truly believes this, why is henot making the people of British Columbia the beneficiaries of their own resources?

Will you timidly accept this loss of your Constitutional rights or will you protest vigorously bywriting, emailing of faxing the Minister, his Pacific Region Director General, the oppositionFisheries critics, your own MP and the media objecting to this destruction of your Canadianheritage? Register your objection to ITQ’s and privitazation of your resource. Maybe ifenough of us do so, we might be able to restore a bit of sanity to this situation.

A list of contact information is appended for your convenience:

Hon Loyola Hearn Minister Fisheries and Oceans Canada
MINISTER'S OFFICE, CENTENNIAL TOWER
200 Kent Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E6
Telephone: (613) 992-3474
[email protected]

Paul Sprout Regional Director General
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Suite 200 401 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 3S4
Telephone: (604) 666-6098

Jean Crowder Local MP
NDP Deputy Whip
111 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Telephone: (613) 943-2180
[email protected]

Peter Stoffer NDP fisheries critic
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Tel: (613) 995-5822

More info can be had by visiting BC Wildlife Federation's site and by contacting Paul Rickard or Wayne Harling.
http://www.bcwf.bc.ca/
We're already behind the 8 ball regarding ITQ's but its never to late to make noise.

 

[5-Salt Fever]

No replies...!?!

Guess it's ok to have you bottom fishing rights taken away?

 

[bigjay]

Hey Salt,
from what I have read about ITQs' I can't find anything thing about taking away from sport fishing - certianly abriginal maybe affected, and those seem to be the group most opposed in NZ where it has been tried. From what read the ideas is to allow ground fishers to go for a various speicies in one trip. And if they catch more of one speicies then another they trade with another boat that has 'cerdit' can sells the by catch to the other boat. The indavitual quoatas for fish do not increase but the boat is allowed to catch more then one speicies there for much of the by catch is kept instead of wastefully thrown over board. And the fish count as part of the annual quotta for that speices.
The ideas is that if you catch some halibut when fishing for vermilion rock fish, the halibut would not be thrown away but sold for a boat with halibut credits. The seller of the credit would benifit for not having to take the boat and still get money for selling his quotta.
Before I jugde this I would have to see the actual paper because if the number that sport fishers take are already accounted for it is a better way to fish. I know in NZ there is still lot of sport fishing and they have ITQ. I you can find a link that has the actual plan stick it up... I'm looking to cuase the idea seems to censible for DFO or the gov.
Still on the fence :? .
Have fun, Jason

 

[Fishaholic]

From what read the ideas is to allow ground fishers to go for a various speicies in one trip. And if they catch more of one speicies then another they trade with another boat that has 'cerdit' can sells the by catch to the other boat. The indavitual quoatas for fish do not increase but the boat is allowed to catch more then one speicies there for much of the by catch is kept instead of wastefully thrown over board. And the fish count as part of the annual quotta for that speices.
The ideas is that if you catch some halibut when fishing for vermilion rock fish, the halibut would not be thrown away but sold for a boat with halibut credits. The seller of the credit would benifit for not having to take the boat and still get money for selling his quotta.

that sounds like a brilliant idea

 

[rln]

interesting thread from 5 years ago .

 

[Fishaholic]

Can see where they were going with it now for sure.... Ding Dong must have done some serious internet digging to find this one.

 

[damnfish!]

This will sound strange, but what will need to happen is some sporty to be sighted with a violation--either over the limit, or fishing for Halibut outside the season--and then in turn fighting that violation as it is a breach of the Canadian Charter or Rights and Freedoms. If a court can hear the case, and consider the resource as belonging to all Canadians, then one ruling can over-turn the 88/12, of course this is not likely at all to happen.

I'm quite shocked there's not a class-action suit against 88/12 already...

 

[Sr SQ]

This will sound strange, but what will need to happen is some sporty to be sighted with a violation--either over the limit, or fishing for Halibut outside the season--and then in turn fighting that violation as it is a breach of the Canadian Charter or Rights and Freedoms. If a court can hear the case, and consider the resource as belonging to all Canadians, then one ruling can over-turn the 88/12, of course this is not likely at all to happen.

I'm quite shocked there's not a class-action suit against 88/12 already...

Doubt that will happen dfo knows how to play it.
Same as when we held the protest on the sock opening in the fraser a few years back.
Hundreds of us went up river and Bill Otway (RIP) landed the fish and took the ticket
We were well backed and ready to go to supreme court to win back our right to fish, but prior to going to court dfo dropped the ticket and.....nothing to fight.
Squeaky wheel will always get the grease and as a group we just cant get together to make enough noise

 

[damnfish!]

Sr. SQ, if that's the case then for all intents and purposes the Halibut closures etc, are symbolic and not enforceable.

Politicians often regulate and legislate things that go against our Charter of Rights & Freedoms. The onus is on us to fight these things, not just at the election booth but in court, and with strategic public relations (which is very sorely lacking in this case).

Someone out there who is very passionate about this really needs to start up a non-profit, raise donations and go on a campaign. Is anyone doing this? Shouldn't I see commercials on TV persuading joe-public to their side? The grass-roots thing is nice, but we don't have the population to make everyone take notice...

I hope someone does this, and I'll happily give money to that cause.


DamnFish!

 

[Sr SQ]

Sr. SQ, if that's the case then for all intents and purposes the Halibut closures etc, are symbolic and not enforceable.
DamnFish!

Yes they are enforceable.
They can make and enforce rules with-in their mandate the question is are they breaking our charter of rights with their rules?
The natural resources of BC are those of the people, and if it could make it to court I'm sure the Hitler regime we call DFO would get spanked.
Problem is its not going to get there, and they will continue to bully the little guy to harvest max $$$$ from their mandate.
That year we held the protest we called DFO and every media station.........estimate was 500 boats on the river fishing while it was closed
The only coverage we got was a little blurb in the Chilliwack local rag and the two local dfo officers.........????
I know when 50-100 gilnetters fished to prove a point it was plastered across the media and the hot topic for a week....go figure.