Well, the halibut season will soon be upon us and with it the halibut derbies. Unfortunately, these derbies target the biggest fish which, sadly, are the spawning females. It’s something like opening the moose season for years for cows only. I wonder how long the moose population could withstand this type of foolishness. There are only two reasons why anyone would kill one of these large fish and both reasons are totally wrong.
Number one, to win a prize; number two, to stroke one’s ego.
It certainly isn’t because these large spawners are good eating. If we must have halibut derbies (and it seems we must) why not pick a specific size (say 50 pounds)? The angler that comes closest to it without going over is the winner. That way the prize is given, the ego is stroked, and we’ve shown responsible action towards preserving a priceless resource.
Don Crowe
Sooke
