NCLGA supports sports fishermen in halibut battle | Muskeg News

Posted on May 20th, 2011 by MuskegPress in News

At the North Central Local Government Association conference held in Prince Rupert last week, delegates endorsed a motion to increase halibut allocation to the sport fishing sector.

Resolution B1, titled ?Allocation of Pacific halibut to sport fishing sector? was brought forward by the District of Kitimat. It reads that the ?NCLGA and UBCM [Union of B.C. Municipalities] support an increase in the allocation of the sustainable Pacific Halibut Resource to the sport fishing sector and requests that the Federal Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans increase the catch limits to two per day and four in possession.?

The sport halibut season opened March 1 with limits of one per day with two in possession. The total allowable catch of halibut ? for both commercial and recreation fisheries ? is set by the International Pacific Halibut Commission. The Department of Fisheries of Oceans then takes that total and allocates 88 per cent of the catch to the commercial sector, and 12 per cent to the recreational sector.

Over the past 10 years, the total allowable catch has dropped from 10.51 million pounds to 7.65 million pounds. This caused the sport-fishing sector to lobby the government earlier this year for an increased portion of the total allowable catch. They were unsuccessful.

This resolution will now be brought to the 2011 UBCM conference, which is taking place from September 26-30 in Vancouver.

At last week?s conference, which ran from May 11-13, delegates voted on a total of 50 resolutions at the Lester Centre of the Arts. Among the resolutions that passed were requests for:

  • an HST exemption for ?health and wellness facilities? such as health clubs, pools, gyms, arenas, and physical fitness equipment;
  • granting residents of Haida Gwaii access to the full Northern Tax Deduction;
  • allocation of five per cent of revenue from liquor stores to the government where the store is located to be ?used to support local drug and alcohol awareness and prevention programs for youth and adults?;
  • working with universities to ?encourage graduates of medical programs to practice and stay in rural areas of British Columbia?;
  • a rescindment of the ban on incandescent light bulbs;
  • a study into allowing online voting for the 2014 municipal elections;
  • a recognition by the Province that coast ferry services are ?essential extensions of our provincial public highway system.? Further, that a freeze on B.C. Ferries fares be imposed until the Province passes legislation that recognizes ferry services as essential.

These resolutions will also be brought to the UBCM in Vancouver later this year.

~Written by Chris Armstrong. Photo submitted

?


?

-->

Source: http://www.muskegnews.com/nclga-halibut101

benjamin netanyahu revelations bane tom hardy time zone map arbys tylenol