BC Premier Eby and new Coastal Marine Strategy call for big changes to fishery licensing policy
July 16, 2024, Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, BC—The B.C. government is calling on Ottawa to undergo licensing reform on the West Coast to ensure that the value of B.C.’s fisheries flow to owner operators, First Nations, and coastal economies.
July 11 marked the release of B.C.’s new Coastal Marine Strategy, the provincial road map to cohesively governing marine resources on the West Coast of Canada. In the document, the provincial government commits to:
“Increase participation with the federal government in managing fisheries and advocate for (the) introduction of Atlantic-type fisheries policies (such as owner-operator and fleet separation) to restore and strengthen the economic viability of B.C.’s harvesting sector, attract and retain new entrants from diverse backgrounds, support robust food systems and improve the distribution of benefits to local and First Nations economies and communities.” B.C. Coastal Marine Strategy, 2024, p.43
B.C. Premier David Eby issued a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and the federal Fisheries Minister, urging the Government of Canada to work with the province to develop an owner-operator policy on the West Coast. The Premier acknowledges the profound need for change and the discrepancy between East and West Coast fisheries licensing policy regimes, stating:
“Conservation of fish stocks and habitat and the balancing of fishing capacity with available resources are of course the highest priorities in managing commercial fisheries. It is clear, however, that this does not justify a licensing regime in the Pacific Region that encourages vertical integration and outside investor control of fishing rights, while DFO regulations on the East Coast ensure access to the most valuable fisheries are allocated for First Nations and community-based fish harvesters.”
“We know how effective similar policies have been on the East Coast at facilitating thriving fishing economies. There’s no reason the province should have to plan for the fallout of a skilled labour shortage once there’s nobody left to harvest sustainable resources on our own doorstep. Harvesters need to see some positive changes to stay within this industry, and having provincial backing for keeping the value with harvesters and coastal communities has been extremely encouraging. With the province onside, the
federal bodies are isolated as the ones holding out to change. We applaud the direct approach of the province and look forward to federal engagement to see this through.”
- James Lawson, President of UFAWU-Unifor and active salmon seine, herring, prawn and geoduck harvester.
“The Premier’s clear endorsement for licence policy reform alongside the Coastal Marine Strategy’s advocacy for owner-operator and fleet separation policies is an exciting and powerful shift forward in what has been a decades-long push to repair a very broken system. The Province’s firm resolve to be part of the work to protect the future of B.C.’s working fish harvesters, First Nations, and coastal communities signals a compelling posture of readiness to the Prime Minister and Minister of Fisheries.”
- Emily Orr, Executive Director - TBuck Suzuki Foundation.
This resounding show of support comes after years of building evidence that the current licensing system is not working for West Coast fisheries. There have already been two significant reports at the federal level by the House of Commons Committee on Fisheries and Oceans in 2019 and 2023 which explore and define the rationale for this policy change. Both reports gave clear recommendations, including “that Fisheries and Oceans Canada meaningfully engage and work alongside Indigenous Peoples through the process of the implementation of a made-in-BC owner-operator policy.”
This new commitment is welcomed by the Fisheries for Communities network, composed of Indigenous and non-Indigenous fish harvesters, small businesses, fishmongers, chefs, restaurateurs, and fishing families along the coast that depend on fisheries to support their families and communities. The need for change has become increasingly evident as years pass, with current licensing legislation encouraging further consolidation and corporatization of the fisheries that were once owned locally and fully benefited their adjacent communities.
Background
An owner-operator policy has been in place on the Atlantic coast since the early 1980s and was recently given stronger legislative and regulatory force. DFO’s explicit policy goal on Canada’s East Coast is "to preserve and protect the independence of licence holders in commercial inshore fisheries ... and [ensure] that the economic benefits from fishing stay with harvesters and within their communities.”
Pacific fisheries allow foreign and corporate ownership of quota and licences, which increasingly excludes First Nations in BC and working harvesters from ownership due to the increasing cost and/or lack of market access – they cannot compete with the prices foreign and corporate investors pay for licences and quota. (Akin to the housing affordability crisis and how speculative investors are driving up the cost of real estate). To keep fishing, many working vessel owners lease licences and quota. A significant share of the value of fish landings – upwards of 70% in the halibut fishery – is extracted as rentier profits by the companies and other non-fishing investors who control the licences.
Currently B.C. fish harvesters take home a much smaller share of the value they produce compared to their East Coast counterparts. The total income from fish harvesting employment for all Atlantic fisheries represented 37% of total landed value in 2019, while in B.C., the proportion is just 29%.
A made-in-BC owner-operator licensing policy change would set rules requiring that commercial fishing licences in the Pacific Region only be owned and operated by an active fish harvester, or a First Nation.
This new owner-operator licensing system would also be more transparent and help mitigate concerns that fishing licences are being acquired for money laundering purposes.
We are a grassroots movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous fish harvesters, small businesses, fishmongers, chefs, restaurateurs, fishing families, and community organizations. We are united by our connection to fisheries and the abundant social, cultural, and economic benefits that come from harvesting and sharing food from the places we call home. We believe that the value of West Coast fisheries should flow to people on the deck, on the dock, and in adjacent communities rather than to big multinational corporations and speculative Wall Street-type investors.
Contact