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From YouTube: FEB 27 2023 Statements Jennifer Rice
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
4th Session
42nd Parliament
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The
fishing
sector
is
a
Cornerstone
in
the
economic
and
social
fabric
of
BC's
coast
and
fishing
and
fish
processing
is
deeply
rooted
in
our
history
and
our
culture,
but
fishing
communities
are
struggling
and
fishermen
nowadays
are
unfairly
portrayed
as
the
perpetrators
of
all
negative
impacts
to
fish.
In
fact,
many
influences,
including
Fisheries
mismanagement,
poor
policies,
warming,
oceans
and
habitat
destruction.
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Every
year,
fewer
rural
fishermen
can
go
commercial
fishing,
older
fishermen
who
want
to
retire
from
fishing,
find
that
they
can't
sell
their
licenses
at
a
reasonable
price.
Younger
fishermen
who
can't
afford
to
buy
in
to
the
more
lucrative
Fisheries
primarily
owned
by
multinational
corporations
the
cost
to
buy
a
license
or
quota,
is
in
the
hundreds
of
thousands.
If
not
millions
of
dollars,
Northern
and
Rural
show
workers
are
also
seeing
processing
move
to
the
Lower
Mainland
or
to
Asia.
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However,
globally
fishing
is
increasingly
providing
more
value
to
communities,
even
though
we
may
be
catching
less
fish.
Independent
fish
Harvesters
need
protections
to
rebuild
the
backbone
of
rural
middle
class
of
the
rural
middle
class
along
our
Coast.
We
can
promote
policies
that
support
local
fishermen
to
benefit
from
BC
resources
and
Shore
working
employment
in
coastal
communities
with
adjacency
policies.
Policies
like
those
in
found
in
the
forestry
sector,
rural
community
benefits
can
be
achieved
through
offering
fishermen
pardon
me
or
communities
control
over
access
to
fish.