Gail Shea, federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, took the bull by the horns Tuesday and came up with a solution to stop the infighting among B.C. halibut fishermen.
For weeks, recreational halibut fishermen up and down the coast have vigorously lobbied to increase the total amount of flatfish they’ll be able to pull from B.C. waters this year.
The anglers, who range from individual sportfishermen to remote tour operators, say the 12% quota they’ve been given every year since 2003 isn’t enough, and they’ve asked the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to increase their percentage of the total allowable catch.
On the other side, commercial fishermen have fought the lobbying, saying that they need their quota, which is 88% of the annual catch to keep their businesses afloat.
On Tuesday, Shea said the current allocation quota would remain in place, but Ottawa plans to issue new "experimental" licences that would allow recreational anglers to buy additional quota from commercial fishermen.
"This will provide access to halibut beyond the limits of the standard recreational licence, giving those who choose to participate greater stability for business planning purposes."
Nadia Bouffard, DFO director-general of fisheries and aboriginal policy, told Business in Vancouver the licence would be free to recreational fishermen.
But individual sport and commercial fishermen need to agree on how much halibut will be bought and sold before DFO will issue a licence.
Bouffard said the licences are an experiment because the federal government doesn’t know how well the new transfer system will work for both sides.
"We need to test out whether that’s going to work well in the context of a sector that’s got a variety of users from the individual angler to tour guides."
DFO has also said the halibut recreational fishing season will open March 1, a full month after anglers originally expected it to open.
Check out this week’s edition of BIV for more about B.C.’s halibut fishery.