From: XNCR, Min
Sent: March 2014
Subject: Reply from Fisheries and Oceans
Canada
Mr. Robert Alcock
President
Sport Fishing Institute of
British Columbia < info@sportfishing.bc.ca
>
Dear Mr. Alcock:
Thank you for your correspondence of
January 14, 2014, regarding various issues facing the British Columbia
recreational fishery. I enjoyed meeting with you and your organization during
your trip to Ottawa.
The Government of Canada is committed to the
sustainable management of the Pacific halibut resource. Fisheries and Oceans
Canada (DFO) appreciates working collaboratively with the Sport Fishing Advisory
Board (SFAB) in advance of each recreational halibut fishing season. In early
2013, DFO and the SFAB reviewed the existing management measures and changes
were implemented to keep the recreational fishery within its portion of the
Total Allowable Catch (TAC) while providing for the longest fishing season
possible. DFO implemented a number of management measures for the 2013 season,
including delaying the opening of the recreational season until March 15, 2013,
implementing an annual limit of six halibut per angler, and setting a maximum
size limit on each fish caught. As you are aware, with these measures in place
for 2013, the recreational halibut fishery remained open until December 31,
2013.
I appreciate receiving your input regarding licence fees and
electronic licensing; the Department and the SFAB are currently collaborating to
inform management for the 2014 fishing season, with the same objective of
keeping the recreational fishery within its portion of the TAC while providing
for the longest fishing season possible. I can assure you that your input is
being considered during these discussions.
The experimental licence
introduced in 2011, which allows recreational harvesters to lease Pacific
halibut quota from commercial harvesters based on market value, continues to be
available to provide additional recreational fishing opportunities for those
interested. Participation in this experimental program has grown each year
since its introduction, and provides fishing opportunities that otherwise would
not exist for individual anglers and recreational fishing businesses. As DFO
moves forward with regulatory changes to consider implementing this market-based
transfer mechanism over the long term, the development of management measures,
monitoring requirements and enforcement provisions will continue to evolve in
response to lessons learned and to input received. The incremental government
cost to manage the program is anticipated to be low, as the licensing and quota
management infrastructure is already in place.
As you are no doubt
aware, DFO has hired a consulting company to review the current Tidal Waters
Licence fees and to provide advice to the Department on potential changes to
those fees. The consultant will interview your organization and others in the
recreational community to obtain feedback on potential changes and ideas on how
these fees might be collected.
I appreciate your support for DFO's
intention to move to 100 percent online issuance of licences effective April 1,
2014. As you indicate, addressing bulk sales and limited Internet access are
challenges that require mitigation. As part of this process, the Department has
been working with the SFAB on upcoming changes and options to address any
problems. These options include encouraging individual harvesters to purchase
their licences ahead of time, as well as a new vendor tool to provide the
ability to pre-purchase licences and to purchase licences in bulk to meet
demands during peak times for vendors. In future phases, DFO is interested in
evaluating the development and implementation of fishing applications for
installation on smartphones and tablets with the Sport Fishing Institute of
British Columbia and other interested parties.
Thank you for taking the
time to write.
Yours sincerely,
Gail Shea, P.C., M.P
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