Why the New Fishing Levy Will Hurt the Very People It Claims to Help

The new fishing levy was sold to us as a way to protect our waters from overfishing by large trawlers. In principle, few would argue with that goal. In practice, the levy as written applies a flat fee regardless of vessel size.

For a trawler company, a flat annual fee is a rounding error. For a canoe fisherman working alone, it can be a month's income. If we want a policy that actually protects our waters without punishing the people who depend on them most, the fee has to scale with vessel size and catch volume.

Government should pause implementation, consult fishing unions directly, and come back with a version of this levy that distinguishes between the boats doing the damage and the ones simply trying to survive.