BC's "Bloodiest Sport"

[BigIron]

The knives are out in B.C.’s bloodiest sport: Politics
ROD MICKLEBURGH
Vancouver— Globe and Mail Update
Published Monday, Apr. 25, 2011 12:14AM EDT

Why would Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper, on the Saturday of a long Easter weekend, journey all the way from Etobicoke to Campbell River on the northern reaches of Vancouver Island?

After all, the Tory incumbent John Duncan is a cabinet minister and winner of five of the past six elections. What’s his worry?

In a word: Halibut.

Recreational fishers for the tasty, ocean flatfish, are up in verbal arms over the government’s handling of the annual halibut fishery. They feel they are being short-changed in deference to commercial fishermen, and Mr. Duncan is paying the price.

Ken Jenkins has run Codfather Charters in Port Hardy for 26 years. A lifelong Conservative supporter, he says he will be voting NDP this time, along with many other recreational fishers.

“At one of our meetings, we took a straw vote and only two of our guys didn’t vote for John Duncan in 2008. Now, we’re gunning for him.”

That, plus the recent upsurge of support for the NDP in the past week or so, could prove pivotal in a riding the New Democrats won as recently as 2006.

So Mr. Harper made a rare journey to a seat already held by the Conservatives, seeking to shore up Mr. Duncan’s support by lashing out at the NDP.

Still, Vancouver Island North is one of only two Conservative ridings in the province where the NDP was close to the Tories in 2008, and now have a good shot at winning. Surrey North, where incumbent Dona Cadman is having a tough time, is the other.

But Jack Layton is B.C.-bound later this week, and who knows what that enthusiasm might produce. More, more, more?

At any rate, the late boost in NDP strength should secure the party’s grasp on the nine seats it currently holds, some of which the Conservatives had been making eyes at.

Predictions beyond that are difficult, depending on which poll you pay attention to. The Angus Reid sampling had the NDP up six points in B.C. over 2008, but the Liberals down only 1.3 per cent, to 18 per cent. Still, that was significantly lower than the mid-twenties the party claimed earlier on.

The most bleeding has come from the Green Party, which has plummeted from a respectable 9.4 per cent in 2008, to six per cent now.

But why are the Liberals even more worried than the Conservatives? Momentum, once it gets going late in a campaign, is very hard to slow down. Any significant slippage to the NDP could spell doom to the Liberals’ presence in B.C., handing nearly all their five ridings to the hated Tories because of a larger split vote among anti-Conservative forces.

In B.C., where politics is a true blood sport, this election is suddenly very, very interesting.

The knives are out in B.C.’s bloodiest sport: Politics - The Globe and Mail

The secret society in halibut
Courier-Islander April 22, 2011

As chair of DFO's official advisory process for the recreational fishing sector, I am troubled by the recent complaints of the Pacific Halibut Management Association that a spontaneous coalition of recreational anglers decided to inject the issue of halibut allocation into the federal election campaign.

The PHMA occupies a very privileged position, thanks to a succession of fisheries ministers. A private society, whose meetings are not open to the public and whose finances are not subject to public scrutiny, the Association was until recently funded by a gift of 10 per cent of the available commercial halibut quota.

This allowed it to hire professional lobbyists and successfully work the back rooms of Ottawa to secure and maintain the current allocation policy. Although it lost its gift of organizational quota thanks to a decision of the Supreme Court of Canada, it continues to be recognized by DFO as the de facto representative of commercial halibut harvesters. Because the SFAB is an official advisory process, PHMA members are free to attend our meetings. By contrast, the Association works behind closed doors.

The most telling point is that the PHMA's privileged position is fully in line with the extent to which ownership of 88 per cent of Canada's halibut has now been privatized by government. In return for an annual payment averaging 10 cents a pound, quota holders have been given what amounts to permanent ownership of access to fish that used to belong to all the people of Canada. But these quota holders don't actually have to work for a living. A large portion of halibut quota is now in the hands of non-fishing speculators, who profit to the disadvantage of recreational, First Nations and active commercial harvesters alike.

The PHMA media blitz contains the assurance of its vice-president that "commercial halibut fishermen are ready to work within the process announced in February." Since the association said last year that it "would prefer to see recreational and commercial halibut fishers managed to their respective 12 per cent and 88 per cent allocations`` it is hard to interpret this assurance as anything but a promise of further opposition to change.

Perhaps if "commercial halibut fishermen" were represented by a transparent process that put the interests of actual harvesters ahead of non-fishing quota speculators the current federal government would be able to implement its announced policy "to support the owner-operator principle" in the commercial fishery.

As chair of a transparent process charged with representing the interests of 300,000 licensed tidal anglers who account for 40 per cent of the total fishing economy of British Columbia, it would be nice to find that this principle was part of any future allocation discussions.

Gerry Kristianson
The secret society in halibut

North Island Anglers speak out against Duncan:

ATTENTION SALT WATER ANGLERS!

Gail Shea, the Conservative Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has again backed the decision to gift 88% of the Total Allowable Catch of Pacific halibut to a small number of commercial fishermen,
Leaving the Canadian public the right to access only 12% of the catch.

So what does this mean to you?

Reduced daily and possession limits (reduced by 50% and 33%)
Never before seen early in-season closures
In spite of previous DFO promises not to do exactly that
But most importantly, the destruction of the 800 year tradition
of free public access to all common property marine resources.
In response to anger from all sectors of the sport fishing community, Minister Gail Shea compounded the insult to anglers by coming up with un-workable scheme for recreational anglers to lease back commercial quota. This scheme is doomed from the start and nobody is buying into it.

So where does your North Island MP John Duncan stand?

Does he speak for the tens of thousands of anglers here on the Island? Will he defend your right to access our marine resources that play such a vital role in our West Coast lifestyle?
Something every federal fisheries minister has never understood.

NOT A CHANCE….MR DUNCAN IS NO FRIEND OF RECREATIONAL ANGLERS

John Duncan has stated over and over again the he sees nothing wrong with giving away 88% of our public halibut resource to 435 commercial fishermen of which only 120 actually fish.

Salmon, lingcod, rockfish and crabs and prawns are next in line for this type privatization.
John Duncan has never stood up to do or say enough

We urge you to think carefully before you vote on May 2nd. Its time to elect a Vancouver Island North MP that will stand up for the 300,000- 4000,000 salt water recreational anglers in BC.

John Duncan is NOT that person!

Paid for
ANGRY COMOX VALLEY ANGLERS
CAMPBELL RIVER GUIDES ASSOCIATION
WEST COAST FISHING GUIDES ASSOCIATION

Methinks this swine is TOAST!

[BigIron]

Halibut wars reach federal election level
By Robert Barron, The Daily News April 26, 2011

The West Coast halibut wars are carrying over into the federal election.

Vancouver Island's commercial halibut fishermen are fighting back against efforts by the recreational sector to make the controversial quota system, in which the commercial sector receive 88% of the annual quota, while the recreational anglers get just 12%, a major local issue on the election on May 2.

Christina Burridge, executive director of the B.C. Seafood Alliance, which represents commercial halibut fishermen, said attempts by fishing lodges and charters to change a long-standing allocation process through lobbying at a time of "low cyclical abundance" of halibut is not the way to manage a public resource.

She said the decision by Fisheries Minister Gail Shea in February to uphold the existing allocation for this season, despite efforts by the recreational sector to increase their share to 20%, and review all options for 2012 is a "fair way" to ensure enough halibut for recreational anglers while maintaining a secure food source for Canadians and the world.

Burridge's comments come on the heels of the launch of a national advertising campaign, called the "Great Canadian Halibut Heist," by the B.C. Sportsfishing Coalition to protest the current quota system and make it an election issue.

Their small quota has raised fears among fishing lodges and charter companies that their halibut season will be cut short this year, possibly as early as mid-July, and they claim that would be a disaster for many of them who typically plan their excursions up to a year ahead.

Spokesman Paul Rickard has called the current quotas an "illegal and blatant privatization of the fish in the ocean" and called on the federal government to set aside enough quota to let recreational halibut anglers fish for the whole season.

"The overall allowable halibut harvest in B.C. waters has fallen from 13.24 million pounds in 2006 to 7.65 million pounds in 2011," Burridge said.

"We are in a period of low cyclical abundance of halibut and both harvesting sectors have had to accept proportional reductions in their catch to ensure sustainable stocks."

Recreational fishermen have taken exception to the fact that their quota for 2011 is set at about 430,000 kilograms for approximately 100,000 anglers.They claim would need a quota of about 725,000 kilograms to round out a full season for the industry this year.

Recreational fishermen also take exception to the fact that the commercial halibut quotas in the province were "gifted free of charge" by the DFO to just 436 commercial fishermen in perpetuity, many of whom now lease their allotted quotas.

RBarron@nanaimodailynews.com
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Halibut wars reach federal election level

CHEK TV Ad: YouTube - BC Halibut Fishery

Cheers,
Nog

[BigIron]

BTW, Duncan's lack of popularity goes well and beyond the issue of simply halibut and the privatization of our marine resources. Here is yet another example...

WEB EXTRA: Duncan deserves support only when he stands up for people's concerns
Published: April 28, 2011 5:00 PM
Updated: April 28, 2011 5:28 PM

Dear editor,

We keep getting phone calls telling us the Conservatives need our vote. In our area, that would be a vote for you, Mr. Duncan.

That would mean you are promising to represent us in Ottawa.

So, will you vote to stop the polluting Raven coal mine, or at least insist on an environmental assessment and aquifer assessment be done before permits are granted? Our atmosphere and seafood industry are at great risk as well as the safety of our highways.

Will your work to give the sports fishers a fair share of the halibut catch? Those resources belong to all Canadians, Mr. Duncan.

Will you work to keep the $57 million in the Fisheries and Oceans domain to assist in keeping the big draggers from destroying our fisheries? Will you work to keep the huge oil tankers away from our coast to further destroy our fisheries? To say nothing of the whales which are declining in numbers.

Will you work to bring our servicemen home from unwinnable wars? Read your Bible, sir, and you will discover that those Eastern countries have been at war since the beginning of recorded history, and will continue to be at war into whatever future we may have. It is their way of life.

It is time to concentrate on our northern regions and defend Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic. Russia has discarded nuclear waste spreading in those northern waters which are polluting, according to Dr. David Suzuki’s Arctic program last evening (April 12). He also cautions about tanker traffic in unstable ships through our pristine waters.

These are some of the concerns regarding our future and are of vital importance to us as B.C.’ers and Canadians. We expect you to stand up for our concerns, that is why you are sent to Ottawa. Only then do you deserve our vote.

G.F. White,
Union Bay

BCLocalNews.com - WEB EXTRA: Duncan deserves support only when he stands up for people's concerns

Time to Toss Out The Trash methinks!
Iron

[BigIron]

And down the stretch they come
Gloves come off as candidates eye the finish line
By Dan MacLennan, Courier-Islander April 29, 2011

Conservative candidate John Duncan has claimed the campaign "high road" while calling his fellow candidates ignorant and inexperienced.

That sparked return fire from NDP candidate Ronna-Rae Leonard and the Liberal's Mike Holland as the 2011 election campaign entered its final days. Holland said Duncan's record shows him to be unfit for public office. Leonard said the Conservatives have led the way with "negative US-style attack ads".

"We are heading into the home stretch," Duncan said at a sparsely attended Wednesday afternoon press conference. "We've had over four weeks. In that time it's become very clear that the main competition, the other two candidates from the NDP and the Liberals, are running a negative campaign, so I'm very proud of our team. We've stayed on the high road. We have not attacked the other candidates in any way."

Only seconds later, however, Duncan was on the attack.

"It's been very clear as we've traveled through the riding, that the other candidates had very little appreciation for the various communities and their issues and their priorities," he said. "I was much better prepared, as a brand new candidate, than the candidates that I'm facing, in terms of understanding the communities they're hoping to represent.

"My NDP opponent claims she will represent the riding, yet she has little comprehension or understanding of the resource industries that drive our economy."

"She has not been supportive or even demonstrated a strong interest in the forest sector, the aquaculture sector."

Duncan played the experience card again and again.

"The choice is to vote for an experienced candidate who understands all of the communities in this riding and knows how to get things done, or to vote for someone with little demonstrated understanding of the diversity and unique needs of our coastal communities and the families who live here," he said.

Duncan went on to boast "that I know the coast of British Columbia better than any other Member of Parliament from any party."

"My almost 13 years in opposition, my time in government and my time in Cabinet have given me an understanding of how things work that simply cannot be matched by my opponents," he said.

Duncan also thought little of his fellow candidates' performances at the all-candidates meetings to date.

"They have been amazingly consistent throughout the previous all-candidate meetings," he said. "I think part of the reason why is because they actually don't know the various communities, therefore they just stick to their script. I'm really the only candidate that's been adapting what I say to my community just because it's the right thing to do.

"The choice is clear. I'm asking people to vote for stability and experience."

Leonard said she was proud of the New Democrats for running a very positive campaign based on making life more affordable, generating jobs and improving health care.

"From the beginning the Conservatives have run negative US-style attack ads, but I don't think that works with the Canadian public," she said. "People tell me they like Jack Layton's practical solutions, and that's why there's such an NDP surge in Vancouver Island North and across the country.

"John Duncan claims he understands the priorities of our communities, but his actions tell another story. He voted for the HST in Parliament. He encourages the export of jobs and raw logs. He opposes Jack Layton's plan to strengthen pensions. These aren't the priorities of our community.

"I love this riding and I'll fight for our communities. As a city councillor I've shown that I have the experience and toughness to get things done as your Member of Parliament."

Holland agreed Duncan's record and experience shouldn't be ignored.

"John is right, his experience should be an issue, and it disqualifies him from public office," Holland said. "Maybe if John's record wasn't so negative, our calling attention to it wouldn't be so bad.

"We first sent him to Ottawa in 1993 and he quickly began building a record of being low profile and doing as little as possible. When he did pop back up, it was to go against his promises. As a Reformer he ran in 1993 against what he called gold-plated MP pensions, but once elected he was one of the first to opt back in.

"If Mr. Duncan wants to run on his record, how about his record of promising to never tax income trusts and then wiping out billions in Canadian seniors' retirement savings overnight?

"How about his refusing to meet with veterans to discuss why he voted against ending the clawback of their pensions? How about his refusing to meet with halibut fishermen to discuss resource allocation? How about his ignoring local experts on the Point Race? John is a member of the party that has spent millions in taxpayer-subsidized dollars demonizing the last two Liberal leaders with the worst personal slurs and attacks, so for him to bemoan the alleged negativity of others is laughable in the extreme."
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News
And down the stretch they come

Halibut News flash from the future

Jan 1, 2012
From the office of John Duncan
Minister of Commercial Fisheries and Oceans Canada

I am pleased today to announce that last year’s experimental halibut fishery has been a great success. I have meet with retired halibut fisherman and found that they will not be seeking financial assistance again this year if the experimental halibut fishery continues. With this knowledge I have meet with all stakeholders, and except for recreational and active halibut fishers, we have agreement on all sides that this program should continue. Therefore today I am happy to announce that for the 2012 and forward the experimental halibut fishery will be come permanent. The new name for the fishery will be “ Canadian Halibut Integrated TAC” or CHIT for short. In anticipation to many questions I know you may have I have enclosed this short Q&A for your review.

Q- What is the purpose of the CHIT halibut fishery and what is being accomplished?
A- The CHIT halibut fishery will be market-based mechanism that allows an CHIT licence holder to acquire halibut quota from the retired commercial sector to fish for recreational purposes. The slipper skippers will have a steady income for themselves and their future generations and they can be assured not to have to work for a living.

Q-How will this CHIT halibut fishery work?
A-CHIT halibut licences are being made available for the rest of time (your kids will thank us). In addition to the regular tidal water sport fishing licence, recreational harvesters can obtain an CHIT halibut licence, on a mandatory basis, that will allow the licence holder to lease halibut quota from retired commercial harvesters, thereby giving them certainty for retirement planning purposes. The additional quota associated with the CHIT halibut licence will allow individual recreational harvesters to fish beyond the current limits of a standard recreational license (a daily limit of 1/2 and possession limit of 1), up to the amount of additional quota acquired on the CHIT halibut licence.

Q-How will recreational harvesters be able to access commercial quota?
A-The Department will work with participants in the permanent program to direct them to the appropriate information. Commercial Fisheries and Oceans Canada annually publishes a list of 435 commercial halibut licence holders, including the person or company that holds the license and quota. Due to privacy issues this list has been crypto graphed and you will need special glasses to see it. Glasses can be purchased at our Tuktoyaktuk office only.

Q- How will we be able to find commercial harvesters willing to sell quota?
A- The Jim Pattison Group of Companies working with DFO will make available, at all there locations, a coupon book for halibut quota. Pricing has been confirmed and we are happy to report a special rate of ten dollars per pound,+ HST. The new coupon books will be called the “Pension on Ocean Halibut” or POOH for short.

Q- Can I take this CHIT and POOH and stick it up your…… where the sun don’t shine?
A- Currently DFO is not accepting ideas as that’s not the process. If you would like to get involved with the process you can waste your time in countless meetings that are put on for show in you community. The decisions are made back east with the lobbyists that are currently paid by the commercial fishing organizations.

Q-I’m a retired halibut fisherman what’s in it for me.
A-You lucky bastard keep your mouth shut and maybe if we get re-elected you will keep those pension funds rolling in. Better yet send letters to the local papers with your distorted view on how we should run this Canadian Commercial Resource.

Q-I just want to go and have a chance to catch a couple of Halibut what do I have to do?
A- You will have to take CHIT and POOH from us until we have a new Minister.

[DLM]

Recreational fishermen also take exception to the fact that the commercial halibut quotas in the province were "gifted free of charge" by the DFO to just 436 commercial fishermen in perpetuity, many of whom now lease their allotted quotas.

Was it gifted free of charge? How much does a commercial Lic. cost for halibut. In the forest industy we pay stumpage fees, is there similar charges for the commerical fishing industry?

Recreational fishermen have taken exception to the fact that their quota for 2011 is set at about 430,000 kilograms for approximately 100,000 anglers.They claim would need a quota of about 725,000 kilograms to round out a full season for the industry this year.
That is not much of a quota for the sports fishers. If sports fishers goet the 725,000, that's only one 20 pound halibut.

I've been away from commercial fishing for about 50 years back when it was a buck for your personal lic. and 5 bucks for the boat lic.

[BigIron]

Duncan's position smells
By Frank Burden, Comox Valley Echo April 29, 2011

So, John Duncan cares about our coastal communities.

That is most interesting because it begs the question of what he has done to resolve the impasse regarding the halibut allocation during his term as our M.P and more recently as a minister with, presumably, some influence at the cabinet table.Only now that he is fighting for his political life does he address this long-standing issue in his constituency.

Mr Duncan says that he will designate a senior member of his staff to work with representatives from the three sectors within the riding with the objective of providing practical recommendations to the Minister of Fisheries.

What arrogance! Mr. Duncan is currently only one of six candidates on the ballot as a prospective Member of Parliament for Vancouver Island North, has no staff and doesn't even know who the Minister of Fisheries will be or who will be the Member of Parliament for this riding.

Move over John. Your position on the fishery allocation is beginning to smell.

Frank Burden

[BigIron]

Candidate Q and A - Halibut allocation
Kitimat Sentinel
Published: April 29, 2011 8:00 AM

Where do you stand on the halibut allocation issue?

Maggie Braun

When an individual’s right to fish is taken away and given to large companies to profit financially from, I stand on the side of logic.

The halibut are a Canadian resource and should be used to feed our families. Those who have interfered with and diminished those resources should contribute whatever is needed to empower the people to restore them. We all benefit from that.

Healthy populations of halibut for human (family, not commercial) and ecosystem needs has to be the top priority, and decisions about how to achieve or preserve that can best be made by the communities involved.

Nathan Cullen

The current halibut allocation policy is an offense to our most basic Canadian value: that public resources like fish belong to the public at the end of the day.

For years now successive Liberal and Conservative governments have been pushing the quota system on commercial fishermen and now the sports sector as well.

This agenda allows individuals to buy up tonnes of halibut and then rent them back to people trying to make a living. Fishermen ‘lease’ the halibut for $5 a pound and then make only a dollar or two at the market.

This year the catch is lower than usual and the recreational and charter fishermen believe there will be no more fish after August 1st. This creates real uncertainty and threatens business.

We need a policy that ensures that who has the quota has to fish it and that the public have fair access to our public fishery.

Clay Harmon

The following points outline our position on the halibut fishery:

1. Our government recognizes the value of the halibut fishery to the people of British Columbia.

2. The decision on the 2011 Pacific halibut fishing season maintains the current allocation formula that has been in place since 2003. The recreational fishery opened this year on March 1 with a daily limit of one halibut and a possession limit of two.

3. The key difference, however, for this season is the availability of an experimental license to any individual wishing to fish recreationally outside of the current recreational limits.

The experimental licence will allow the license holder to lease additional access that can be fished in addition to their regular recreational license.

4. The issuance of experimental licences is intended as an interim measure, and as such, minister Shea has asked her parliamentary secretary, Randy Kamp, to lead a process aimed at developing additional fisheries management and allocation options prior to the 2012 season.

These options will meet the following objectives:

Conservation: ensuring all halibut fisheries are fished within the total allowable catch.

Economic prosperity through predictable access for all users.

Flexibility through an effective mechanism for transfers between the sectors.

These options provide the opportunity to have access to the halibut fishery in the current year through the experimental license and provide the time to lead a process aimed at developing additional fisheries management and allocation options prior to the 2012 season.

I have listened to representatives of both the commercial and the sport fishery and look forward to future meetings with both groups to help cut the red tape towards an equitable resolution when I am elected as Member of Parliament for the Skeena Bulkley Valley Electoral District.

A Conservative vote will help to resolve this issue according to plan.

Rod Taylor

The halibut resource belongs to all Canadians and should not be controlled by 436 quota holders.

As both a food resource and recreational opportunity, BC’s anglers should be allowed reasonable catch opportunities during a normal fishing season.

Quota currently held by the 436 quota-holders should be subject to “use it or lose it.” Unused quota should be made available to other Canadians (recreational anglers) and should not become itself an exorbitantly-priced and leveraged commodity.

I support the idea that a recreational angler could take the limit of two halibut in a single day; I believe that is reasonable and allows for some efficiency and reduced costs for anglers.

Kyle Warwick

As usual, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has failed to do their job properly. As in past decades, they have failed to adequately consult commercial, recreational, and First Nations fishermen, in order to find an allocation that all sides can accept.

As MP, I will pressure the DFO to sit down with each group and to genuinely listen to their demands, rather than simply imposing quotas from Ottawa, without a proper understanding of the conditions on the ground here on the North Coast.

Kitimat Sentinel - Candidate Q and A - Halibut allocation

"A Conservative vote will help to resolve this issue according to plan." May as well have simply said BEND OVER!
We recognize exactly what will happen according to their "Plan". Even Harper's desperate speaking to the matter of late notes that he and his party are pleased with what they have done thus far to screw us. Time for a few of them to embrace the words of one of the Fish Brokers in this matter: Let Them Play Golf!

Cheers,
Nog

[BuckTrader]

i love fishing but in beaches of bahamas........................

whitetail for sale