COLUMN: A familiar story

For Ed Frenette, the halibut quota P.E.I. received this year is another variation on an all too familiar story.

The general manager of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association is convinced politics often plays more of a role than science when it comes to species allocations. As the country’s smallest province, P.E.I. is not exactly in the driver’s seat when it comes to wielding political clout.

Such things as historical fishing patterns and adjacency to the resource are cited as major factors by Ottawa in making quota decisions. In the case of halibut, Frenette says DFO has gone back to the 1970's, when there were few Islanders involved in the halibut fishery.

However, that criteria seems to be out the window when DFO set the snow crab allocation. Although Island fishermen were among the first to begin the experimental fishery in the early 1970's, their share of the quota has been going down relative to other jurisdictions.

When it comes to halibut, this year’s Island allocation was just six and a half tonnes. The season ran two days in late July compared to three last year. This, despite the fact the overall halibut quota was actually increased by 108 tonnes.

When it come to cod, Island fishers received 19.3 per cent of the fixed gear quota. With the historic data (prior to the 1992 moratorium), the province’s share of the total allocation would been just over 30 per cent.

The latest allocations may well put considerable pressure on Fisheries Minister Allan Campbell. The previous Conservative government took Ottawa to court over quota allocations. The decision was made in the wake of a refusal by the former Liberal government in Ottawa to restore the 25-metre exclusion zone between the inshore and seiner herring fleets. The boundary was eventually restored but the lawsuit continued.

While in opposition the Robert Ghiz Liberals were highly critical of the legal action, calling it a waste of taxpayer’s money. After a ruling by the Supreme Court of P.E.I. that would mean the remainder of the case would have to be heard in the Federal court in Ottawa, Campbell announced the suit was being dropped.

He promised a tough negotiating strategy would produce better results. So far, that hasn’t happened. Governments have changed in both Charlottetown and Ottawa since the lawsuit was launched in 2005 but the political reality has remained largely the same.

Bigger players than P.E.I. are getting better results.