Commercial Harvesters Welcome Changes in BC’s Coastal Marine Strategy
Canada’s National Observer climate change news outlet reported July 19 that fishing communities and harvesters are welcoming British Columbia’s efforts to work with the federal government to reform the system of purchasing fish licenses and quotas in B.C.’s commercial fishing industry.
The province announced last week as part of its Coastal Marine Strategy that under the new system license and quota holders would also need to be active harvesters.
Current individual transferable quotas (ITQ) regulations allow corporations and foreign investors to buy the permits to catch fish for the highest price, which makes it increasingly challenging for individual harvesters, First Nations and long-time fishing families to compete for those permits.
The National Observer noted that Jim Pa...
