VANCOUVER - The 2001 commercial halibut fishery on the Pacific coast opens March 15, 2001, with similar fishing opportunities as last year and with active participation by First Nations and recreational fishers, Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced today. The catch limit for 2001 for British Columbia was set at 10.5 million pounds as recommended by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) at their annual meeting, held in Vancouver, from January 22-25, 2001. The Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for Pacific halibut in 2001 developed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada is based on recommendations from the IPHC. The 2001 plan represents a minor reduction, approximately one percent, from the 2000 fishing season, in which 10.6 million pounds of halibut were harvested in B.C. Quotas and catch limits are based on natural fluctuations in halibut stocks. Pacific halibut is one of the most valuable commercial fish
species in the North Pacific. The management strategy to collect information on halibut catch and bycatch – the at-sea sampling program involving on-board observers - will continue in the 2001 commercial fishery. This program strengthens Fisheries and Oceans stock assessment capability. Fisheries and Oceans Canada will also continue to consult with stakeholders on gear selectivity and other initiatives to reduce bycatch in the commercial fishery. The 2001 halibut management plan will maintain measures to address rockfish conservation, including rockfish protection areas and bycatch strategies. The pilot program implemented in 2000 to allow halibut licensed vessels holding a ZN (rockfish) licence to combine halibut and rockfish fishing privileges is under review and will be continuing as a temporary measure in the fishery for 2001. As rockfish are often a bycatch in the halibut fishery, protection areas are a precautionary management strategy to protect vulnerable inshore rockfish stocks. Rockfish protection areas that will remain closed to commercial halibut fishing include:
Co-management and cost sharing are key to the success of the management and enforcement regime in the halibut fishery. The Pacific Halibut Management Association (PHMA), a not-for-profit society representing 85% of the halibut licence holders, takes an active role in the management and in providing funding for this fishery. By developing equitable and sustainable fisheries through co-management approaches, client groups and stakeholders share responsibilities, costs and benefits of a carefully managed resource. A consultative process with First Nations, recreational fishers, industry and stakeholders is another important part of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s resource management strategy to help ensure the conservation and protection of stocks at risk. -30- For information:
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