Nathan Cullen, MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley, plans to urge the Conservative federal government to reconsider the halibut allocation for both the commercial and recreational fishing sectors.
Cullen is supporting an industry call to allow for a longer, less intense fishing season for the commercial sector and a longer season for the recreational sector.
“This is where our hope lies in terms of balancing the interests of sport, commercial and recreational fishermen, this allows for better quality of life for commercial folks that actually can earn a living and takes out this ‘72 hour madness’ that we go through for sockeye,” Cullen said.
“The DFO [Fisheries and Oceans Canada] apparently is supportive of this, so I want to put the halibut question and other questions into that mix,” he added.
The MP said the revised fisheries plan will allow for communities to better determine how many fishing licenses they can support as well as allowing each licensee to fish for different species in different seasons.
The fish processors can also expect to have a more consistent supply of fish Cullen said.