Dear editor,

Mr. Dennis tells a factual history (Record, Feb. 9) to how he used to fish for halibut before the IVQ (individual vessel quota) arrived in 2003.

His graphic description of the old derby system was deadly (no pun intended). Before the present commercial IVQ system, B.C. sports fishers had a possession limit of two halibut in the poor biomass years and three halibut in possession in the good years.

It worked very well for many years. The season was always February to December, and when DFO asked the sports fishing industry to support the new IVQ system, they promised us this would not affect our ability to go out and catch halibut.

DFO were told that in order for them to keep their promise, the allocation ratios would have to be similar to Alaska and Oregon or it would not work.

DFO cut the pie up in 2003 and gave the sports fishing industry only 12 per cent and gave the other 88 per cent of the halibut (common property of all Canadians) to 436 private individuals.

Oregon DFO allocated 36 per cent of their total allowable catch to their sports fishers and limited their commercial fishing industry to 64 per cent. Alaska DFO gave their sports fishers 20 per cent and another 20 per cent to their flourishing charter vessel-lodge industry, leaving their commercial fishing industry just 60 per cent of the pie.

Mr. Dennis is concerned he might lose his 鈥減ension鈥� from future loss of halibut quota when the allocation transfer process (ATP) for sports and 鈥渃ommercial sports鈥� takes place. Currently the DFO ATP is spending up to $6 million purchasing commercial fishing quotas to provide opportunities to the native fishery. Halibut quota is currently selling for $35 a pound.

I hope Mr. Dennis has lots of quota. I never got mine, even though I have put in over 30 seasons operating a charter vessel. Selling a pound of quota that was given by the taxpayers back to the same taxpayers for $35 eight years later indeed sounds like 鈥渓egalized theft鈥� to me.

Ian Andersen,

Comox