The Groundfish Integrated Fishing Plan
was introduced in 2006, for the purpose of accountability of hook and line
commercial fishers. This was a result of the assumption that the discarding of
unwanted species (by-catch) was required by DFO and significant in the hook
and line fishery. This assumption was based on anecdotal reporting of some
individual fishers. Some of these fishers proclaimed the reason for these discards
was a significant abundance of some rockfish species. The DFO accepted the discarded by-catch theory, but not the abundance theory. The process of introducing this Plan was the DFO initiating a policy for accountability that included individual quotas in all fisheries, 100% monitoring of all vessels, and a mechanism for transferability of quota to cover incidental by-catch. The DFO selected a cross section of industry, provincial and federal government and environmental representation, to develo a method for achieving government policy goals. There was no participation or accountability for these representatives to consult with the rest of the industry in the process of implementing this policy.
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