Latest update from the SFI of BC: We need to phone, email DFO Minister Ashfield to tell him to get off his "ash" and make an annoucement ASAP and/or contact Harper to remind him of his commitment to find a solution to the halibut allocation issue.

Ashfield's Contact Info:
Telephone: 613-992-1067
Fax: 613-996-9955
EMail: keith.ashfield@parl.gc.ca

Harper's Contact Info:
Telephone: 613-992-4211
Fax: 613-941-6900
EMail: stephen.harper@parl.gc.ca

Well it's the middle of January and we're still waiting. We told you in our last update that several SFI representatives had been told in the weeks leading up to Christmas that we could expect a formal decision and announcement from Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield and his Parliamentary Secretary Randy Kamp on the 2012 halibut fishery by the end of the year. Sadly, the end of the year has come and gone and we have no idea when to expect any news.

We're working the phones and talking to our contacts to try to find out what is going on. This week Vancouver Island MLA John Horgan and Vancouver Island MP Randall Garrison wrote Ashfield urging him to make a good decision and make it soon so that sport fishing businesses can get on with planning and selling trips.

Our colleagues at the BC Wildlife Federation have been telling government that they believe that there are solutions to the sharing of halibut while maintaining the quota system within the commercial sector. Like the SFI, the BCWF supports a recreational halibut season from February to December with a catch of 2 per day and a possession limit of three. The BCWF believes that the recreational fishery should be allocated sufficient halibut in lbs/kg to support this season and the remainder goes to the commercial fishery.

We shouldn't forget that last spring, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told Vancouver Island residents that "Our government recognizes the importance of the halibut fishery in BC. The jobs and regional economic impact of the commercial, recreational and related tourism in BC are substantial. We remain committed to finding a solution to BC's halibut allocation issue in advance of the 2012 season that strikes a fair balance between all sectors." We expect him to keep his commitment.

We will continue to press government for an early, positive decision. We encourage everybody in the sport fishing sector, to call their local MP or MLA and ask them to do the same.

We'll keep you posted through as-it-happens updates or by posting on the SFI website.

could you imagine if you constantly missed your deadlines like this at any other job? You'd be fired!

2012 International Pacific Halibut Commission - SFI IPHC Report

The annual meeting of the International Pacific Halibut Commission took place last week in Anchorage Alaska.

As an indication of the importance Canada places on the issue of halibut management, Canada's delegation was led by Michael Pearson, the head of DFO's International Division in Ottawa (and the grandson of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson)
The Canadian recreational fishery contingent included SFI directors, Gerry Kristianson, John McCulloch, and Martin Paish, and SFAB groundfish chair Chuck Ashcroft.

Concerned by what it terms "uncertainty in the stock assessment process and future estimates of exploitable biomass", and troubled by retrospective indications that the model used in recent years to estimate biomass may be inaccurate, the IPHC staff switched to a new model (also know as the "Wobble SQ" should you want to demonstrate your technical expertise and impress your fishing buddies) and recommended a 20% overall decrease in harvest to a total of 33 million pounds compared with last year's 41 million.

In recognition that data from the Canadian zone shows a different trend than elsewhere, the staff recommendation for Canada's 2012 TAC was 6.63 million pounds, a 13% decrease from last year's 7.65 million.

The IPHC commissioners have two advisory bodies, the Conference Board, composed of commercial, recreational and First Nations harvesters and the Processors Advisory Group (PAG). Although the PAG endorsed the staff recommendations, all but one of the Canadian representatives on the Conference Board supported a higher number for Canada, citing the work done to reduce bycatch and account for all mortalities in our fisheries. This number of 7.04 million pounds was endorsed by the Commission, in what can only be considered as a tribute to Michael Pearson's leadership and the able support of Laura Richards and Gary Robinson. Canada's share of the total coastwide harvest increased to 21% from 18.6% in 2011.

Even this small improvement over the staff recommendations is a tribute to the fact that Canada has been working hard to present a united front in its halibut negotiations with the United States. One irony at this year's meeting was that the single Conference Board vote against an increase in the Canadian share came from the person representing the UFAWU. The rumble you felt last Wednesday afternoon was Homer Stevens turning in his grave as a Fishermen's union rep said he wanted fewer fish for Canada!

Another achievement for Canada was that the Conference Board unanimously endorsed a resolution from Gerry Kristianson calling on the commission to consider closing nursery areas where large numbers of juvenile halibut are being slaughtered in the Pollock trawl fishery, and a motion from the PHMA's Chris Sporer calling for continued action to deal with the bycatch in US waters which is significantly reducing the movement of mature fish into the Canadian zone- by as much as a million pounds of harvestable fish a year according to IPHC staff.

It is also worth noting that conspicuously absent from this year's meeting was any sign of the many Canadian environmental groups who have been quick to criticize recreational catch monitoring standards and support the "slipper skippers" and their commercial ITQs. While these groups are only too happy to criticize recreational halibut anglers, they seem strangely indifferent to the massive by-catch of juvenile halibut, Chinook and chum that is taking place in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. Indeed, in a recent story in Ketchikan's Sit News, Kathy Hansen, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Fishermen's Alliance said "It's a bit uncomfortable to be from Alaska where we supposedly have sustainable fisheries and the best management in the world,"

SFI will meet with Minister Ashfield

The SFI continues to work on the halibut issue at all levels possible. A meeting with Minister Ashfield has been arranged this week to discuss the Halibut allocation issue and the delay of the announcement.

Watch for news and updates on this issue.

For more information contact:

Sport Fishing Institute of BC
t: 604.270.3439
w: www.sportfishing.bc.ca.
e: info@sportfishing.bc.ca

The SFI Team,
Sport Fishing Institute of British Columbia

February 3, 2012

HALIBUT SEASON TO OPEN MARCH 1

Rob Alcock, Martin Paish and Marilyn Scanlan met with Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and his key staff today in an 11th hour discussion regarding a new halibut allocation policy.

At the onset of the session we learned that the Minister has indeed been presented with a suite of options as potential solutions from the Randy Kamp process and that Minister Ashfield was looking to understand more clearly the primary interests of our industry and the key elements that are important to us. The Minister would not reveal the "options" but his staff assured us that all options are on the table.

After a brief overview of the industry profile, we clearly identified the need for "Stability and Certainty" in our sector referring to the need for a full season February 1 to December 31. We explained (as we have to all of his staff in prior meetings) what drives our sector and the pre-planning involved with the consumer buying process. We also stressed the importance and value of the early and late season halibut fishery as well as an inability to tolerate or recover from "in season closures".

We reiterated the importance of the halibut fishery and associated bag/possession limits required to keep the industry viable and profitable. Time was spent discussing the failure of the experimental recreational quota fishery and why a private market quota system doesn't work for the public fishery or its service providers.

We raised (again) the "Fixed Number" solution, ratified by the SFAB, and discussed in detail with the Minister. We believe he understood our message and the drivers behind it.

Our team turned a twenty minute opportunity into a forty-five minute clear and concise conversation on what didn't work and why and what will work and why. It was clear to us that there were some elements that the Minister and his eastern staff did not fully understand prior to our conversation but we assure you we fixed that.

Minister Ashfield informed us that the 2012 Halibut Season will open on March 1 and indicated that an announcement regarding the new policy could be made as soon as early next week.

In these final hours it is not too late for you to make a difference. We urge you to call your local MP and B.C. Caucus reminding them how important the recreational fishery is to you and the province of B.C.

As always we will keep you posted and let you know as soon as we hear on the new policy.

Sport Fishing Institute of BC