N.L. fishermen allowed to buy out licences

By Aaron Beswick

FOR THE SOU’WESTER

After nearly a year of consultations with fishermen and their union, Loyola Hearn has rolled out the new rules for combining fishing licences.

Independent Core licence holders will now be able to buy out fellow fishermen and double up their quotas for ‘predominant fisheries’.

In 3K, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) lists cod, shrimp and snow crab as predominant fisheries. In 4R, DFO lists lobster, cod and shrimp. Fishermen will only be able to double their current quota – in other words, they won’t be allowed to buy more than one additional licence per species.

As well, fishermen won’t be able to have duplicate licences of species not listed by DFO as predominant fisheries.

Groups of fishermen will be allowed to jointly buy out another harvester’s licence and share it between them.

The regulations come into effect this season for 3K.

Meanwhile, DFO announced that 4R will have to wait for additional consultations because “fish harvesters expressed concerns about the potential movement of effort from areas of low productivity to areas of higher productivity.”

In the over 40-foot fleet the rules will replace the ‘buddy up’ system, when two licences fish from one boat, which was permitted last year. Small boat fishermen, meanwhile, will be allowed to continue buddying up.

“The enterprise combining policy gives those on the water, in their boats, greater control of their economic future and greater opportunity to decide for themselves their place in this industry,” said Hearn, the federal fisheries minister. “This fleet rationalization plan will increase the income levels for current harvesters and attract the next generation of fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Alvin Cassell doesn’t think much of Hearn’s plan.

The Roddickton resident paid $700,000 for his enterprise, which included the 45-foot boat Miss Cherise, and licences for crab, mackerel, seals and capelin.

He doesn’t have another dime to invest and now he won’t be allowed to buddy up anymore, which he had been doing with another young fisherman.

“That’s the system that worked, that’s why we’re not allowed to do that anymore. They like stuff that doesn’t work,” said Cassell of DFO’s canceling the buddy-up system for boats over 40 feet.

He said licence combining won’t go far because fishermen won’t sell their licences and boats separately.

Meanwhile, those seeking to buy licences won’t want a second a boat and won’t be able to sell it again because people are leaving the fishery.

“Now if they put a few dollars in to help me out, so I could go to the fisheries loan board and get a low interest or no interest loan, then I might consider it.”