124 UCENSING THF SMAllI R COMMI'RCIAI IISIIIKIIS 



but hshmg. As a result, only irollors who hokl "1." 

 licences may take halibut and then, only during the open 

 halibut seasixi 



Many trollers whi> tlo not hold halihul licences feel 

 aggrieved at having lost the privilege to retain inciden- 

 tally caught halibut. The release of marketable fish makes 

 little sense economically, and inevitably results in some 

 mortality and waste. The present arrangements aggravate 

 losses because the mortality of relea.sed fish depends 

 upon the care taken in handling them, and having been 

 denied the right to participate in the halibut fishery, 

 salmon trollers have little incentive to release them with 

 care. I find it difficult to disagree with the principle that 

 fish caught should be landed unless there is a sound bio- 

 logical reason against it. Here, it is only a question of 

 who catches them. But if trollers were allowed to retain 

 halibut, a great deal more fishing capacity could be 

 brought to bear in an already overcrowded fi.shery. Some 

 advocate a return to a specific limit on retentions, but this 

 is difficult to administer and, in any event, would not 

 discourage trollers from targeting on halibut up to the 

 prescribed limits. So none of these solutions is very satis- 

 factory. My proposals below will resolve this problem. 



Proposed Changes 



Poor regulation of the halibut fishery has allowed the 

 capacity of the licensed fleet to grossly overexpand. What 

 is urgently needed now is firm action to rationalize the 

 fleet to the available catch. In view of the current pres- 

 sures on the fishery this will be difl^cult, but the longer it 

 is postfwned the more dislocation it will cause. 



Fortunately, the characteristics of this fishery lend it 

 well to a simple individual fisherman's quota system. The 

 allowable catch does not fluctuate widely and can be 

 (and is) predicted in advance of each season. A quota 

 system is the only approach, as far as I can see, that offers 

 any real promise in dealing with the alarming excess 

 capacity in this fishery, and if it is carefully designed, it 

 appears to offer a more equitable solution than any other. 



I therefore recommend the following changes: 



10. Initial 10-year halibut quota licences should be issued 

 in 1983 to owners of licensed halibut vessels that 

 reported landings of halibut in 1980 or 1981. The 

 quotas authorized under each licence should be 

 related to the licensee's reported landings in those 

 years. 



11. The total allowable catch should be calculated for the 

 north and west zones and a reserve of 10 percent set 

 aside for appeals. 



12. Initial licensees should be required to select the zone 

 in which theu* quotas will apply, and licences should be 

 issued accordingly. 



1.^. Appeals should be cf>nsideri'<l from sahiMtn trollers 

 Iicens4^'<l lo lisli lor salnM>ii outside (lie Strait (»r 

 (•i><)rgia wli«> do not ImiUI halibnl lii-ciices and wIm* can 

 (k'UKtnstrate llial the liiniti'<l-eiitr\ licensing <»f the 

 halibut lisher\ adversely allected (iK-ir inconKs, and 

 from halilnit licensees wlio can deuHHistrate that the 

 initial all(H:ati(»n of quotas would treat them inetpiit- 

 ably. 



14. With tlK- total catch predetermined and liniittxl 

 through the autlM>ri/ed quotas, tiK' lishing season 

 should be expanded to the maximum period that bio- 

 logical constraints penm't. Licensees should be free to 

 take their quota on any Ixrak and line gear. The long- 

 standing prohibition against trawls should be main- 

 tained because they are undiscriminating and destruc- 

 tive to inuiiature fish. 



These measures imply a substantial change from the 

 traditional method of regulating this troubled fishery. 

 Once in place, they should go a long way toward 

 improved economic returns, fleet rationalization and sim- 

 pler management and administration. 



The proposed grandfathering in of licensees' quotas 

 according to their recent catch shares appears to be the 

 most equitable way of recognizing the difference between 

 those who comprise the main halibut fleet and those who 

 qualified for licences by way of incidental catches. The 

 proposals are intended to secure the position of each, and 

 transfers of quotas will provide an avenue for voluntary 

 withdrawal from the fishery without loss or arbitrary 

 intervention. 



These arrangements will also alleviate the nagging 

 problem of halibut caught incidentally by salmon trollers. 

 Trollers will be free to acquire quota units as they see fit 

 either by buying them from others or by bidding for 

 them. 



A major benefit of the proposed arrangements wall be 

 that the fishing season can be lengthened. This will 

 enable higher prices for the catch because a higher pro- 

 portion will be available for fresh fish markets, which 

 bring prices about half again as high as the frozen mar- 

 ket. 



Experience elsewhere suggests that fishermen do not 

 always take their full quota for one reason or another. 

 Canada should therefore seek arrangements through the 

 International Pacific Halibut Commission to provide for 

 any Canadian quota not harvested in one year to be 

 added to the Canadian quota for the following year. 



These recommendations were originally proposed in 

 my Preliminary Report. Halibut fishermen enthusiastic- 

 ally supported them, and the Minister subsequently 

 announced his intention to adopt their main features. 

 Indeed, U.S. halibut fishermen have pressed for adoption 



