LICENSING THE SMALLER COMMERCIAL FISHERIES 141 



Oyster production in British Columbia increased stead- 

 ily during the 1960s, but harvests have been uneven, and 

 in recent years they have declined. TTie 60 thousand gal- 

 lons produced in 1981, valued at about $1.2 million, was 

 significantly lower than the average of 88 thousand gal- 

 lons produced in the 1970s, partly due to spawn (spat) 

 failures. Most of the production is sold fresh or frozen in 

 local markets. 



The existing administrative arrangements for oysters 

 appear to be generally satisfactory. Leases and licences 

 convey exclusive long-term harvesting rights that encour- 

 age investments in stock management and enhancement, 

 and already support a well-established mariculture indus- 

 try. Changing only a few details would make these 

 arrangements consistent with those I have proposed for 

 mariculture leases. 



The most serious problems faced in this fishery relate 

 to the legal relationships between lessees and adjacent 

 upland owners, the availability of spat, and the develop- 

 ment of hitherto underused growing areas. These are 

 technical problems that can be dealt with by the provin- 

 cial authorities and do not impinge on the licensing struc- 

 ture itself Delegating federal responsibility for this 

 fishery to the province has apparently worked well and 

 resulted in the most advanced licensing system among 

 Pacific fisheries. Later, in Chapter 18, I propose that these 

 arrangements be extended under a broad intergovern- 

 mental fisheries agreement. 



CLAMS 



Like oysters, the four species of clams found on Can- 

 ada's Pacific coast — butter, littleneck, razor and manila 

 — are found in the intertidal zone. They support regular 

 commercial fisheries in some isolated coastal areas and 

 more sporadic effort coastwide during the off-season for 

 other fisheries. Recreational catches are estimated to be 

 high, particulariy in areas near population centres. 



According to the sketchy information available, the 

 maximum sustainable yield for all species could be as 

 high as 3100 tonnes, as indicated in Table 10-3. Total 

 annual catches currently amount to about one-quarter 

 this amount, but these are unevenly spread geographi- 

 cally and by species. Coastwide, only the manila clam is 

 being fully exploited, but depleted stocks are common- 

 place on accessible beaches in the Strait of Georgia. In an 

 effort to conserve stocks, the Department closes overhar- 

 vested areas to commercial fishing altogether. As well, it 

 attempts to limit the recreational catch with a daily bag 

 limit of 75 clams; south of Cape Caution, no more than 

 25 of these may be butter clams. 



Clam prices are unstable as a result of fluctuating 

 fishing effort and resulting market supply, and because of 

 paralytic shellfish poisoning in some stocks. 



Table 10-3 Volume of current landings and estimates of 

 sustainable yields of clams 



species of clani 



butter 

 manila 

 native littleneck 



sustainable 

 landings * >ield 



south north south 



coast coast coast 



(metric tons) 



400 1,300 1,000 



225 225 



350) 225 225 



100 to 125 



north 

 coast 



400 



(lota! coast 

 80 



■* Rough estimates for 1980. 



Source: Assessment of Invertebrate Sttxrks off" the West Coast of Can- 

 ada. Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Technical Report 

 «T074. Vancouver. 1981. pp. 1 1-22. 



For manual operations, all that is required to harvest 

 clams IS a personal commercial fishing licence, which is 

 issued without restriction at a nominal fee. Access to the 

 fishery is therefore uncontrolled. The provincial oyster 

 leases allow their holders to take incidental harvests of 

 clams from their leased areas, but these arrangements 

 lack a solid legal foundation. (It is proposed that 

 mechanical operations will require special licences, but 

 the eligible licensees will be effectively unlimited). The 

 Department has made no provisions for culturing clams. 



The clam fishery would benefit substantially from a 

 more orderly management system based on mariculture 

 leases. The Department's current licensing policy pro- 

 vides no opportunities for cultivating the resource or even 

 private management of natural stocks, and this hampers 

 unnecessarily the growth and development of industry. 

 To remove this barrier, I recommend — 



66. Qanis should be licensed under mariculture leases 

 that provide opportunities for culture and private nian- 

 agenient of >v1ld stocks. 



Because the foreshore is owned by the provincial 

 Crown, the federal government's scope for encouraging 

 clam mariculture is constrained. In Chapter 18 I suggest 

 that marine fisheries like oysters and clams, that depend 

 heavily on provincial jurisdiction over the foreshore, 

 freshwater supplies and upland development should be 

 administered by the province under a formal agreement. 

 If this is done, the Department should discontinue licens- 

 ing commercial clam operations and regulating recre- 

 ational clam fisheries. 



