Commercial fishermen fight for new quota system

[Spiel]

Commercial fishermen fight for new quota system

QUOTA: U.S. reps biased towards sport fishery, association contends

 

Friday May 02, 2008

Jeff Helsdon / Tillsonburg News

 

 

Ontario commercial fishermen have turned to the courts in a bid to move to a new system for setting their quota.

 

"The current system is inappropriate and it’s up to the federal and provincial government to come up with a new system," said Peter Meisenheimer, executive director of the Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association.

 

A three-judge panel heard arguments from the association legal team over three days last week. At the heart of the case is the belief that it is inappropriate and an erosion of Canadian sovereignty to have an international body set Canadian quota. Quota is set by the Lake Erie Committee, which is comprised of one representative each from Ontario and each of the four states abutting the lake.

 

Among the arguments presented was the contention that the American representatives were biased towards the sports fishery. Since the states receive federal fisheries funding based on how much revenue is generated from sport fishing licenses, the association argued there is a vested interest to advocate on behalf of the sports fishery exclusively.

 

Meisenheimer said the states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York view the Ontario commercial fishery as direct competition for the resource.

 

"They’ve shut their commercial fishery down and are trying to do the same to Ontario industry through the back door," he said. "All four of those jurisdictions are hostile to the commercial fishery, which is the primary use of the resource in Ontario waters."

 

Last year, for example, he explained the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources told the association no major cuts in walleye or perch quota were expected. Association members then arranged their financing with their banks with that expectation. Then, after negotiations with the Lake Erie Committee, the quotas were cut.

 

"It was devastating to people," Meisenheimer said. "We had guys were called in by their bankers. You can’t run a business that way."

 

The principal demand of the suit is for an open, transparent and accountable management system that conforms to Canadian law.

 

Meisenheimer said the legal proceedings aren’t just a bid for more quota. As an example, he said walleye and perch quota was artificially held low between 2001 and 2004. Walleye quota then saw a large increase in 2005, which commercial fishermen found hard to market. Then quota was cut again in 2006.

 

"We were perfectly prepared to take less fish in exchange for some stability," Meisenheimer said. "They weren’t even prepared to give us that."

 

He cited the 2005 perch quota in Kent County as another example of a flawed system. After commercial fishermen in that area noticed their quota seemed low, the association started an investigation and found quota was underallocated by 69 per cent. Meisenheimer said something must be wrong with the system if nobody notices that large a mistake.