Commercial fisheries licensing rules and policies reference document Pacific region
Pacific wild oyster
Categories ZWO and FZWO
Licence category
A commercial or communal commercial Pacific wild oyster licence (category ZWO or FZWO) is required to commercially harvest Pacific wild oysters.
Pacific wild oyster licences are limited entry and party based.
A Category ZWO licence designates the authorized harvester named on the licence to harvest under the authority of the licence. Additional harvesters are permitted to assist the licence holder in harvesting on the beach. The licence holder and any additional harvesters must be in possession of a valid Fishers Registration Card (FRC).
A category FZWO licence designates the Aboriginal Organization to designate harvesters under the authority of the licence. Harvester(s) must be designated by the First Nation that holds the licence. The designation must be made in writing and include the person’s name and reference the Communal Commercial Licence.
Licence holders and those assisting are responsible for understanding all management measures and licence conditions before harvesting Pacific wild oysters.
Licence category background
In October 2013, the Department announced future licence eligibility limitation for the commercial Pacific oyster fishery. Past commercial licence holders having held a licence in at least one year during the period of 2009-2013 were able to apply for a one-time opportunity to establish eligibility.
As part of this process the Department also created 20 new communal commercial category FZWO licences for First Nation participation. Along with licence limitation, the Department announced new assessment and monitoring requirements for the fishery.
Licence limitation resulted in the establishment of approximately 136 licence eligibilities. The fishery operates under a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and individual licence quotas. The current commercial fishery occurs within the south coast of British Columbia mainly along the mid portions of the east and west sides of Vancouver Island. Commercial harvest sites are divided into two licence areas.
Past commercial harvest opportunities under Provincial management have averaged 40 to 60 participants annually over the last ten years with a total allowable catch in 2011 of 417 tonnes. During the 2012 and 2013 season, DFO continued the Provincial management model while the transition was underway and the Department consulted and decided upon the future management and assessment frameworks for the fishery.
Fishing areas
- West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) – area 21 to 27
- East Coast Vancouver Island (ECVI) – area 12 to 19
Licence renewal fee
The annual renewal fee for a commercial category ZWO licence is $30.00.
There is no annual renewal fee for a communal commercial category FZWO licence.
Licence issuance
A commercial Pacific wild oyster licence must be renewed, and the renewal fee paid, every year by February 28th to retain the privilege to be issued the licence in the future. This means that licence eligibility holders must renew the licence whether they intend to fish or not. If the licence is not annually renewed by February 28th the licence will cease and DFO will not be able to consider a request to issue that licence in the future.
Prior to licence issuance, licence eligibility holder(s) must ensure:
- ensure any Ministerial conditions placed on the licence eligibility are met,
- any conditions of the previous years’ licence, such as completion of logbooks, are met and accepted.
The licence eligibility holder of record for category ZWO licenses may annually choose to participate or redesignate another harvester to be named on the licence for the period of the annual licence. The annual licence fee must be paid and the licence obtained prior to requesting redesignation. Logbook/fish slip requirements must be met prior to redesignation.
Category FZWO licenses are issued in the name of the aboriginal organization that holds the licence. Harvesters must be designated by the First Nation that holds the licence. Designations must be made in writing and include the person’s name and reference licence.
There is currently no mechanism in place to accept an area change.
Licence documents
Pacific wild oyster licence documents, a current Fisher Registration Card, and government-issued photo identification must be carried at all times by the licence eligibility holder when harvesting oysters and produced upon the demand of a fishery officer or guardian.
Pacific wild oyster licence documents are valid from the date of issuance to February 28th of the next calendar year.
Licence eligibility holders may reprint any lost or destroyed licence documents using the National Online Licensing System (NOLS).
Licence eligibility nominations
Pacific wild oyster, category ZWO licence eligibilities may be nominated from one party to another. Licence eligibility holders may indicate their intention to no longer apply for a Pacific wild oyster licence by completing the Nomination for Category Z Licence Eligibility form. Where such an intention is stated, the Minister may consider issuance of the licence to a person nominated by the previous licence eligibility holder.
Prior to the nomination of a commercial Pacific wild oyster licence eligibility, licence eligibility holders are required to:
- Ensure any conditions of the current or previous year licence such as completion and submission of fishing logbooks are met
- Complete, sign and submit a nomination application. If the licence eligibility holder is a company, the Pacific Fishery Licence Unit must have on record a copy of a recent B.C. Company Summary indicating the officers/directors associated with the company.
Note that the nomination form must be signed by the licence eligibility holder on record and notarized by a lawyer or notary.
The Nomination for Category Z Licence Eligibility form is available.
Communal commercial Pacific wild oyster category FZWO licence eligibilities may not be nominated.
If you require further discussion or information on the above mentioned nomination policies, please contact the Pacific Fishery Licence Unit.
Logbooks
Logbooks may be obtained by calling D&D Fisheries
Telephone: 604-886-4819
Email: ddpacific@dccnet.com.
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