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Ministerial Decision on Gulf Halibut Shares

I want to provide a brief explanation of today’s decision related to the Gulf Halibut.

At my direction, and as a result of a campaign commitment made during the previous election, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans carried out a review of how we allocate the Gulf Atlantic Halibut shares.

The review began when all fleets, Indigenous groups, and provincial governments were invited to provide written submissions - 22 submissions were received and subsequently posted on the DFO website. After a review of the submissions, an in person meeting took place in Montreal on April 22, 2016. This meeting provided stakeholders an opportunity to further share their views. Also central to this process, were the views of Indigenous peoples, and their presence was essential.

This open and transparent process provided me the basis for my decision.

Going forward, the 2007 fleet shares will be used to allocate the TAC. 85% of the mobile gear fleet quotas, temporarily transferred, will be allocated equally among the 8 inshore fixed gear fleets.

While there is an ongoing debate and strongly held views on the 2007 fleet standard, this decision recognises adjacency, historic attachment and is consistent with a previous assessment conducted by Ernst & Young.

I know the Gulf Halibut is a very important fishery and a source of meaningful income for families in Quebec and in Atlantic Canada. I also know that allocating shares invariably cause difficulty for some who feel shares should align with a particular perspective. As the Member of Parliament for a northern community and your Minister, my perspective is without geographic preference or bias.

I want to thank the fisherman, stakeholders, and indigenous groups for their work during this review. We will not always agree, but I will continue to be an open, transparent and accessible Minister.

Hunter Tootoo

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