8J I K I NSINCi ANIi » l.F.KI IM-Vf lOPMI NI KM.ICY 



fluctualKMis m wurld prices tor tish, new technological 

 inniwations m fishing, trends in costs ol" fuel Aud other 

 nectls. ami changes m resource availability arc not only 

 unpredictahle aiul uncontrollable b^ private mdniduals 

 but in large piirt by governinenis as well. While a fisheries 

 poUcs can di> nothing aKnit these uncertainties, by set- 

 ting out clear long-temi fishenes pt>licy goals it can do 

 much to enable more purpciseful private investment and 

 planning. In addition, the licensing arrangements them- 

 selves should be designed to provide as much certainly as 

 possible by using appropriate terms, by containing unam- 

 biguous provisions with respect to renewability and 

 transferability and by clearly documenting policies and 

 practices rather than by relying on vague administrative 

 practices. 



Public Revenues 



The charges now levied for fishing privileges are so low 

 they do not even come close to covering the costs of 

 administering and managing the resources, and the 

 eroded returns to fishing resulting from the overexpanded 

 fleet leaves little scope for increasing them. The present 

 licence fees are also inconsistent, and devoid of any 

 apparent equity. If they are to be made "consistent with 

 the value of the resources recovered, after fair and rea- 

 sonable returns to commercial fishing enterprises," as my 

 terms of reference dictate, the present structure of levies 

 must be substantially altered and rationalized. 



Social Goals 



Among the most important objectives of fisheries pol- 

 icy is that of ensuring opportunities for fishermen to earn 

 reasonable incomes. This underlies the need for proper 

 resource management and industrial development. But 

 beyond this, fisheries policy, probably more than any 

 other industrial policy, has been formulated with 

 perceived social and economic needs of particular 

 groups, communities and regions in mind. This can be 

 e.xplained by the historically poor economic environment 

 of the fisheries, the economic and cultural dependence of 

 certain ethnic and social groups on fishing and the 

 identification of fishing with particular regions and com- 

 munities with few alternative employment opportunities. 



Many fishing groups on this coast feel that the fisheries 

 authorities have been excessively preoccupied with regu- 

 lating people at the expense of resource management and 

 industrial development. I am not sure that this criticism is 

 justified, but my review of the licensing arrangements has 

 convinced me that the measures used to protect the inter- 

 ests of particular groups and communities have been 

 inconsistent, sometimes contradictory and often unsuc- 

 cessful. Certainly, the measures taken in the past to main- 

 tain the participation of Indians in the commercial 

 fishery, to protect the p»osition of small operators and to 



prevent encroachment by one sector of the fleet on 

 another have been only partly successful at best. 



Because t)f the present predicament of the Pacific 

 fisheries and ol those invt)lved in Ihcm, fisheries privileges 

 must recognize certain pressing social problems and con- 

 tribute to their solution. The need for economic opportu- 

 nities for Indians and fi)r coastal communities dependent 

 on fishing are the mt)st urgent of these. In contrast to past 

 policies, the special economic and social problems must 

 be clearly identified, the methods to be used to alleviate 

 them should be agreed upon and the particular role that 

 fisheries policy is to play should be specified in a coherent 

 and consistent form. Only then can the fisheries authori- 

 ties be expected to administer licensing and other 

 arrangements that will serve these special purposes 

 effectively. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is 

 not neces.sarily the appropriate agency to identify social 

 problems or to design corrective programs, and it may be 

 that it has too often attempted to do so. But where such 

 problems exist, and modifications to fishing arrange- 

 ments afford the best means of improvement, fisheries 

 policy should be appropriately modified. 



Certain other considerations go beyond assistance for 

 particular groups. It is important to maintain not only 

 economic opportunities in fishing but also the fisherman's 

 lifestyle, the viability of small independent operators and 

 access to the industry for young people. These issues call 

 for especially sensitive policy making at a time of change 

 and industrial rationalization. 



Simplicity 



The licensing system has become extremely compli- 

 cated, and it has been imposed on an industry that was 

 already intensively regulated. Some of the complexities 

 are the result of the experimental nature of the licences, 

 which were introduced, one after another, to deal with 

 different circumstances and problems. Other complexities 

 arose as new regulations were designed to deal with 

 unforeseen deficiencies in old regulations. 



The different kinds of licensing systems vary widely in 

 their requirements for information, in their administra- 

 tive complexity and in their demands on enforcement. 

 They vary also in how burdensome compliance is for 

 fishermen and vesselowners. As a general rule, methods 

 that are simpler; need less data; offer fewer opportunities 

 for conflict between licensees and regulatory authorities; 

 are more readily enforceable; and entail lower costs of 

 administration, are to be preferred. 



The development of the fishing industry is influenced 

 by agencies other than the Department of Fisheries and 

 Oceans. Federal and provincial authorities responsible 

 for taxation, shipbuilding, transportation, fish processing, 

 environmental quality, Indian affairs and other matters 



