Halibut Master Caught Fishing In Protected Glass Reef Fined $33,596

A boat called Gypsy Soul

Commercial fisherman Brent Belveal landed a $33,596 fine for illegally operating his halibut vessel Gypsy Soul in the fragile and legally protected glass sponge reef near Bella Bella. The master of the Gypsy Soul had pled guilty in BC provincial court to charges of fishing illegally inside the Hecate Strait Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reef Marine […]

Will BC Fisheries Move To An Owner-Operator Licencing System?

A commercial fishing boat named "Savoy" on the water

British Columbia’s licencing and quota system for fisheries could soon be seeing much needed reforms. The BC government has announced its intentions to work with the federal government to transition the province’s individual transferable quota (ITQ) system to an owner-operator system.