114 1 KT.NSINO THI-: SMAI.I.fR COMMl R( I \l I IStll Kll S 



I he total allowable catches shuulil initiallv he llxeJ 

 conservativel> so that licensees will be reasonably 

 assured ofbemg able to achieve their ijuotas. Ilie s|X'cial 

 advisor> committee a|i[X)nite(.l tor shrimp should alst) 

 study, and advise the IX-partment i>n, the opportunities 

 tor aquacultural leases tor shrimp, perhaps in coopera- 

 tion with advisors fYom the prawn fishery. 



These changes should substantially improve the cir- 

 cumstances and outliHik tor the shrimp tlshery. They will 

 etTectively eliminate the problem of excess licensed fish- 

 ing capacity and incentives to recreate it. They will elimi- 

 nate the controls and restrictions on the vessels used and 

 the existing impediments to beneficial redistribution of 

 other licences now linked to the shrimp fleet. They also 

 provide means to achieve distribution of fishing etfort 

 better related to the yield capabilities of the stocks. 



PRAWNS 



The prawn fishery is much smaller than the shrimp 

 fishery, but it has been expanding sharply in the last few 

 years in response to prices that have tripled since 1976. 

 Basic infonnation about this fishei^ is very poor, but esti- 

 mates indicate that by 1980 roughly 300 vessels landed 

 some 800 thousand pounds of prawns with a landed 

 value of $2 million. The catch is taken in traps, and a 

 large proportion is sold fresh. 



The stocks and their yield capabilities are only vaguely 

 known. Biologists suspect that the catch may have 

 reached its maximum, and the stocks in the more accessi- 

 ble areas, such as Howe Sound, have apparently been 

 overfished. 



The fishery is now managed without reference to any 

 predetermined allowable catch but rather with reference 

 to a minimum escapement of spawners. Like shrimp, 

 prawns change from male to female as they grow older. 

 As the fishing season progresses, samples of the catch are 

 taken, and when the proportion of egg-bearing females 

 falls below a certain level the area is closed until spawn- 

 ing is finished. But hitherto, monitoring has not been 

 close or consistent. 



Unlike the shrimp trawl fishery, special limited-entry 

 licences have not been introduced for the prawn fishery. 

 Any vessel with a residual species ("C") licence can par- 

 ticipate, and so information on the number of vessels 

 engaged in the fishery is poor. Finally, information on 

 landings is weak. A few full-time vessels take a large 

 share of the catch, but there are many part-time partici- 

 pants, mostly with salmon licences, who fish a small 

 number of prawn traps. Much of the catch is sold fresh in 

 small quantities, and the sales slips provided to the 

 Department probably report no more than half the catch. 



If policy followed the customary pattern, measures to 

 control the fieet would be postponed until a danger of 

 t)vcrtishmg and excessive tishing capacity was clearly evi- 

 dent. The prawn fishery appears to have just reached this 

 stage, and calls for a new licensing system now. I lowever, 

 the paucity of information about stocks, participants and 

 landings make introducing quota licences unfeasible 

 now. I therefore propose that a cruder form of control be 

 introduced to limit further expansion of capacity for the 

 time being. 



41. New (cnip(irar> prawn perniits should be is.sucd in 

 1983 t«> owners of vessels that reported landings of 

 prawns in 1980 or 1981. autlM>ri/iiig them fo fish for 

 prawns in 1983 and 1984 witlMHit specification of the 

 catcht>s authorized. 



42. f lolders of tlicsc permits should be required to select 

 the zones in which their licences will apply. 



43. Diuing the 1983 and 1984 seasons, the prawn fishery 

 should be managed by tlie current technique of closing 

 areas as required to meet escapement criteria. 



44. Tlie uMinitoring of catches should be intensified and 

 all pemiit holders slH)uld be re<|uired to report their 

 catches in logbooks to be provided by tlie Department. 



45. Before the 1985 season, total allowable catches should 

 be calculated for appropriate subzones delineated 

 within each of the three zones. 



46. In 1985, 10-year quota licences should be issued to all 

 holders of temporary prawn permits, and the amount 

 of quota allocated to each liceasee should be based on 

 his landings reported in 1980 and 1981. 



47. Each prawn quota licensee should be required to 

 select for his licence one of the subzones delineated 

 for this fishery. 



48. Any remaining quota in any subzone after initial allo- 

 cations are made should be available through competi- 

 tive bidding for new quota licences. 



These arrangements will enable a smooth, though 

 delayed, transition to a quota licensing system. In the 

 meantime, with future quota allocations based on land- 

 ings already recorded, further increases in fishing capac- 

 ity that would otherwise result from rising prices or 

 attempts to secure larger quota allocations should be 

 forestalled. 



CRABS 



The dungeness crab fishery has much in common with 

 the prawn fishery. It is also a significant fishery that is 

 not subject to specific limited-entry licensing; any vessel 

 with a residual species ("C") licence may fish for crab 

 commercially. A few full-time vessels take most of the 



