Federal fisheries minister Gail Shea made some changes to the quota system for pacific halibut in an attempt to settle the conflict between the commercial and recreational fishing industries in Prince Rupert and across British Columbia. When the 2011 Halibut season begins on March 1, average recreational fishermen will be allowed to catch one halibut a day and have a maximum of two in their possession outside of their homes. This catch limit is actually lower that what it was before, which was catch two halibut a day with three in possession. The lower catch limit is likely an attempt by DFO to make the recreational fishery go through it’s quota slower so it will not run out of quota by July, which is what representatives of the recreational industry warned was going to happen. But the minister went farther than that. She also introduced an “experimental” new license targeted at charter boat and loge businesses. Under the new licenses recreational fisherman will be able to purchase extra quota from commercial fisherman.“This will provide access to halibut beyond the limits of the standard recreational license, giving those who choose to participate greater stability for business planning purposes,” says Shea. The government’s decision may have upset more people than people than it appeased. Organizations representing the recreational fishery are fuming that the fisheries minister left the 88/12 split of the halibut quota unchanged. The industry has been arguing that because halibut are a common resource, commercial fishermen cannot own their share of quotas and shouldn’t be able to sell or rent it out. Ken Franzen has been organizing the recreational fishery’s efforts in Prince Rupert. He says that commercial fishes who don’t fish their quotes but rent it out instead should have it reallocated to recreational fishermen who will fish it. Instead of doing that the conservative government decided to let recreational fishers buy quota from those same people, known in the fishing community as “slipper skippers.”“The recreational fishery is vehemently opposed to charter operators or lodges holding quota. Minister Shea is doing an excellent job of making sure the Conservatives never form a majority government and is eroding the grass routes support that the Conservatives once had in rural Canada by now expanding the privatization of fisheries,” says Franzen. The recreational fishers aren’t the only one’s who are upset. Some First Nations communities in B.C. believe that the new system could harm their fishing interests, which they say were put above those of the commercial or recreational fisheries by the Supreme Court of Canada. Lax Kw’alaams chief Gary Reece says that his community is against the new system because it could adversely affect their own efforts to get halibut quota. Local MP Nathan Cullen says that the move highlights the Harper government’s lack of leadership on the issue, but did not put forward an alternative solution when asked.