Halibut Closure Angers Sport Fishermen

OFF METCHOSIN -- There is some very negative talk around the giant water cooler known as the Juan de Fuca Strait this week Sport-fishing operators say a decision by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to shut down recreational halibut fishing in less than two weeks will "gut" business.
Pedder Bay RV Resort & Marina General Manager Martin Paish estimates Pedder Bay alone could lose up to tens of thousands of dollars over the next few months because of DFO's decision, and he says take that number and multiply it by the dozens of similar businesses up and down Vancouver Island. "People who were going to book at Pedder Bay or other charters or campgrounds on the coast, are simply going to go somewhere else like Washington or Alaska."
Paish and his counterparts aren't suggesting Canada's total allowable halibut catch should be higher. What they want is access to a greater percentage of that catch. "There simply isn't any fairness in this when you're dealing with a commercial sector that is able to harvest 88% of the catch, and a recreational sector worth more to the Canadian economy being limited to 12%. It's fundamentally wrong."
Fisheries and Oceans says it is well aware the early closure to the season will have an impact on sport-fishing operators, and that's why it hasn't been shutdown even earlier. "In-season catch estimates indicated the recreation allocation would be met in August. Given that the September long weekend is important for the recreational community, the department decided to keep the closure after the September long weekend" says spokesperson Tamee Karim.
She also points to a new experimental license that can extend the recreational season - for a price. "It would allow them to retain more than one halibut a day during the open season or continue to fish for halibut during the closed season."
Martin Paish says that's no solution. "In order to gain the best benefit from Canada's halibut resources, we need to allocate more to the recreational sector."
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