Commercial fishermen and tourism operators are locking horns for control of B.C.’s lucrative halibut fishery.
In one corner, recreational anglers say commercial fishermen have an iron grip on the annual halibut catch, which could result in an early closure of the public fishery and devastate remote lodges and tour operators.
In the other corner, fishermen say the current allocation system keeps them afloat during cyclical downturns. They also maintain that criticism being levelled at them is political manoeuvring on the part of high-end tourism operators who want to expand their businesses.
But George Cuthbert said his business is already suffering.The president of tour operator West Coast Resorts told Business in Vancouver that uncertainty about the length of this year’s recreational halibut season has already cost him $250,000.
“We’ve had groups that … said to us unless we can assure that there’s going to be halibut available they will not book a trip,” Cuthbert said.
The story is the same for the Oak Bay Marine Group, which operates a number of getaways, including the Pedder Bay RV Resort & Marina near Victoria.
“Yesterday, at Pedder Bay Marina, I dealt with 12 to 15 calls from people who were wondering when the halibut fishery would open,” said the Marine Group’s Martin Paish. “The fact that we’re not open yet is creating a tremendous amount of uncertainty and … what that does is drive business away from British Columbia.”
B.C.’s recreational halibut season generally runs 11 months of the year, with a one-month break in January while the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) decides how much of the flatfish can be harvested from U.S. and Canadian waters in the coming year.
Two weeks ago, the IPHC recommended a catch limit of 7.65 million pounds for B.C. this year.
Sport fishermen hoped to hit the water February 1, however, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has kept the fishery closed with rumours abounding that a second mid-season closure is likely once things get underway.
But anglers say the biggest problem they face is an annual quota that’s far too small.
As it stands, sport fishermen account for 12% of the annual catch compared with commercial operators who get 88%.
Worse yet, anglers claim commercial fishermen were handed their licence quotas for free in 2003, and many of them don’t set foot on boats, preferring to lease their quotas to private operators.
“We don’t think that 200 guys should be getting rich off of Canada’s natural resources. That belongs to Canada. They can’t own that fish,” said Rob Alcock, a spokesman for the newly formed BC Sportfishing Coalition.
Paish said the solution is for sport fishermen to get a larger percentage of the total catch.
“What we’re asking the government to consider is what is the best economic use of the resource?” Paish said. “There’s tonnes of economic and social information out there that indicates the highest added value and the best use of the halibut is in the jobs, the revenue, the tourism dollars … all of the things created by businesses like ours.”
In Washington state, Oregon and California, sport fishermen account for 44% of the annual halibut catch.
According to BC Stats, sport fishing, both freshwater and tidal, contributed $248 million to the province’s GDP in 2005.
The coalition claims the recreational halibut fishery generated roughly $28 million in GDP activity last year.
“Those fish would provide a better resource rent to the people of Canada if they were in the hands of businesses like ours,“ Paish said, “not in the hands of a bunch of guys who are treating it like a commodity.”
But Chris Sporer vehemently disagreed. He said Canadian consumers who eat halibut in restaurants and kitchens across the country are proof that there’s more value in the commercial fishery.
“If [the recreational sector was] that valuable … then the quota would move in that direction,” said Sporer, executive manager of the Pacific Halibut Management Association.
He also took issue with the claim that commercial operators were given their licences for free. Sporer said the quotas were based on historic catches.
He added that 56% of the quotas have changed hands since 2000, proving that people continue to invest in the sector.
Sporer pointed out that commercial operators have invested in conservation and technology to ensure their industry is sustainable.
“Commercial fishermen pay for the monitoring costs of their fishery … they pay an access fee to DFO. What do lodges and charters pay for monitoring the fishery? Zero. What do they pay for an access fee to build their business on the backs of fishery resources? Zero,” said Sporer. “So who’s being gifted their access to fishery resources?”
According to a 2002 DFO report, the recreational halibut sector has grown since it began in 1979.
Back then, recreational fishermen accounted for only 0.2% of the total catch.
That aside, Sporer said the bigger issue is protecting the halibut population, which is why the total catch has decreased in recent years.
According to the IPHC, B.C.’s total halibut catch has plummeted 44% since 2004.
Sporer said the entire industry is suffering through a cyclical downturn, forcing some fishermen to partner up on the water to keep their businesses alive.
But that’s fishing, he said, and the quota system exists to protect the industry for the long term.
“If you suck it in and bear the costs and look to the long term the resource is going to treat you right … we’ve got to put the fish first.”
7.65 million – the total amount of halibut, in pounds, that can be fished from B.C. waters this year
44% - the amount the total catch has dropped since 2004
88% - the total allowable catch for commercial fishermen annually
12% - the total allowable catch for sports anglers annually