

Currently released so far... 12689 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
2011/05/13
2011/05/14
2011/05/15
2011/05/16
2011/05/17
2011/05/18
2011/05/19
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AF
ASEC
AR
AEMR
AMGT
AE
AU
AID
AORC
APER
AS
AM
AFIN
AMED
AJ
AGR
ACOA
ANET
ASIG
ABLD
AL
AA
APECO
AGAO
AY
AGMT
APEC
AINF
AG
ACS
AECL
AFFAIRS
ABUD
ASUP
ADANA
AADP
AMCHAMS
ARF
ASEAN
ADPM
ATRN
ALOW
APCS
ADCO
ACAO
AORG
AROC
AO
AODE
ACABQ
AX
AMEX
AFGHANISTAN
AZ
AND
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AC
AUC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
ASCH
AFU
AMG
ATPDEA
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AORL
ADM
AN
AIT
BU
BR
BL
BO
BA
BB
BG
BM
BBSR
BH
BEXP
BK
BD
BTIO
BT
BE
BY
BF
BX
BP
BRUSSELS
BILAT
BIDEN
BC
BMGT
BWC
BN
BTIU
CH
CG
CF
CU
CE
CVIS
CASC
CO
CS
CA
CIDA
CBW
CW
CMGT
CI
CODEL
CY
CPAS
CJAN
CD
CWC
CDG
CIA
CL
CROS
CAPC
CTR
CT
CR
CBSA
CEUDA
COM
CFED
CV
CACS
CARSON
CLINTON
CN
CONS
CM
CAC
CIC
COPUOS
CDC
CONDOLEEZZA
CICTE
COUNTER
COUNTRY
CBE
CKGR
CHR
CVR
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CLEARANCE
COE
CARICOM
CB
CSW
CITT
CACM
CDB
CJUS
CTM
CAN
CLMT
CBC
CNARC
CIS
EG
EZ
EUN
ECON
ETRD
ECPS
EFIN
ENRG
ETTC
EPET
EINV
EAID
EAIR
EWWT
EU
EAGR
EC
ELAB
EIND
EN
EMIN
ESENV
ENNP
EFIS
ELTN
ET
ECIN
EFTA
ES
EINT
EI
ENGR
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENVI
ETRDECONWTOCS
ECINECONCS
ELN
ELECTIONS
ENVR
EXTERNAL
EXIM
ETRO
ENIV
ESA
ER
EK
EUR
EFINECONCS
EUMEM
EUREM
EPA
ERNG
ENERG
ECA
ETRC
EINVEFIN
ETC
EAP
ECONOMY
EINN
ECONOMIC
EXBS
ECUN
ENGY
ECONOMICS
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
EFIM
EAIDS
EREL
EINVETC
ECONCS
ETRA
EAIG
EUC
ERD
ETRN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
IS
IZ
IR
IC
IO
IN
ID
IGAD
IT
ILC
IAEA
ITU
ICAO
IMO
IBRD
IMF
ICJ
IAHRC
ITF
INRA
INRO
IWC
IQ
IV
ICRC
ICTY
INRB
IEFIN
ILO
ITRA
ITALY
IBET
ISRAELI
IL
INTELSAT
IRC
IDP
ICTR
IRAQI
IPR
IIP
INMARSAT
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
INTERNAL
IRS
IA
INTERPOL
IEA
INR
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
ISRAEL
IACI
INDO
IDA
ISLAMISTS
KSPR
KNNP
KWBG
KAWK
KISL
KPAO
KN
KS
KIPR
KCRM
KDEM
KIRF
KJUS
KHLS
KSCA
KOMC
KAWC
KV
KFRD
KWMN
KTIP
KPWR
KSUM
KGHG
KTIA
KTFN
KIRC
KCOR
KACT
KMDR
KGIC
KOLY
KUNR
KIDE
KMPI
KPKO
KCFE
KVPR
KRAD
KPAL
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KTEX
KTDB
KFSC
KZ
KSEP
KFLU
KE
KU
KPLS
KRVC
KRIM
KSTH
KG
KFLO
KPOA
KICC
KDDG
KPRV
KTBT
KBCT
KSAF
KMOC
KDRG
KBIO
KREC
KSTC
KVRP
KBTR
KMIG
KENV
KNSD
KCGC
KWAC
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KWMM
KPRP
KNEI
KPAI
KO
KVIR
KX
KMCA
KCRS
KMFO
KID
KCIP
KNAR
KR
KCRCM
KBTS
KSEO
KHDP
KFIN
KOCI
KGIT
KNUP
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KSCI
KTLA
KHIV
KCSY
KTRD
KMRS
KNPP
KJUST
KCMR
KTER
KRCM
KCFC
KSAC
KCHG
KREL
KFTFN
KCOM
KLIG
KDEMAF
KAID
KGCC
KICA
KHUM
KSEC
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KWWMN
KOM
KWNM
KRFD
KRGY
KIFR
KWMNCS
KPAK
KOMS
KHSA
MPOS
MOPS
MARR
MTCR
MNUC
MASS
MX
MCAP
MAR
MTRE
MASC
MK
MG
MTCRE
MI
MD
MA
MO
MY
MU
ML
MRCRE
MAS
MEDIA
MC
MR
MIL
MW
MARAD
MAPP
MZ
MP
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MEPN
MEPI
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MT
MCC
MIK
MAPS
MV
MILITARY
MDC
MEPP
MASSMNUC
MUCN
MQADHAFI
NATO
NG
NL
NZ
NT
NW
NO
NU
NS
NPT
NASA
NI
NK
NSG
NE
NORAD
NAFTA
NP
NATIONAL
NSSP
NSF
NA
NGO
NV
NR
NDP
NIPP
NZUS
NH
NC
NEW
NRR
NAR
NATOPREL
NPG
NSC
NPA
NSFO
OPDC
OPRC
OEXC
OTRA
ODIP
OIIP
OVIP
OPIC
OPCW
OAS
OREP
OSCE
OSCI
OES
OFDP
OECD
OCS
OIC
OPAD
OVP
OHUM
OFFICIALS
OIE
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OBSP
OFDA
ON
OCII
PREL
PGOV
PARM
PINR
PTER
PHUM
PK
PREF
PM
PHSA
PA
PINS
PE
PBTS
PCI
PO
PL
POGOV
PAK
PEL
PGIV
PROP
PP
PBIO
POL
POLITICS
POLICY
PINL
PBT
PMIL
POV
PTBS
PG
POSTS
PALESTINIAN
PROV
PNAT
PINF
PRL
PAS
PDOV
PRAM
PREO
PAHO
PHUMPGOV
PAO
PREFA
PSI
POLITICAL
PAIGH
PARMS
PROG
PTERE
PRGOV
PORG
PS
PGOF
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PNG
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
PSEPC
PNR
POLINT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PGOC
PY
PLN
PHUH
PF
PHUS
PU
PARTIES
PCUL
PGGV
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PHUMPREL
RS
RU
RW
REACTION
RCMP
RSO
RO
RP
ROOD
RM
ROBERT
RICE
REGION
RSP
RF
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
RUPREL
RELATIONS
RFE
REPORT
SY
SP
SOCI
SMIG
SNAR
SCUL
SC
SU
SO
SI
SENV
SZ
SW
SA
SR
SF
SEVN
SN
STEINBERG
SEN
SG
SYR
SWE
SK
SH
SNARCS
SAARC
SNARIZ
SPCE
SARS
SNARN
SCRS
SYRIA
SL
SENVKGHG
SAN
ST
SIPDIS
SSA
SPCVIS
SOFA
SANC
SHI
SHUM
SIPRS
TSPA
TSPL
TU
TBIO
TRGY
TPHY
TS
TP
TW
TBID
TI
TF
TZ
TD
TT
TN
TNGD
TC
TX
TH
TL
TIP
THPY
TV
TK
TERRORISM
TO
TRSY
TURKEY
TINT
TFIN
TAGS
TR
US
UNSC
UNGA
UK
UP
UNCHC
UN
UNMIK
UNCSD
UY
USTR
USOAS
UNHRC
UNFCYP
UG
UNAUS
UNESCO
UNIDROIT
UNO
UV
UNHCR
USUN
UZ
USNC
UNCHR
UNCND
UNEP
USEU
USPS
USAID
UE
UNVIE
UAE
UNDP
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNDESCO
UNC
UNPUOS
UNDC
UNICEF
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 08TORONTO58, The Lake Erie Commercial Fishing Industry
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08TORONTO58.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
08TORONTO58 | 2008-02-29 15:17 | 2011-04-28 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Consulate Toronto |
VZCZCXRO1564
PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHON #0058/01 0601517
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291517Z FEB 08
FM AMCONSUL TORONTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2363
INFO RUCNCAN/ALCAN COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/HQ EPA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TORONTO 000058
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O.12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV PGOV PREL CA
SUBJECT: The Lake Erie Commercial Fishing Industry
Sensitive But Unclassified - Protect Accordingly.
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Managing fish stocks in Lake Erie, which supports a
multi-million dollar commercial fishing industry that supports
thousands of jobs - has become a point of contention on both sides
of the nearby U.S.-Canada border. Dwindling fish stocks have
prompted Ontario and the U.S. states bordering Lake Erie to decrease
their fishing quotas and restrict fishing in other ways. In
response, commercial fishermen on both sides of the border are
asking their respective court systems to force provincial and state
governments to restructure the way quotas are set. Both Ontario and
U.S.-based commercial fisherman assert that the U.S. sport fishing
industry, which generates significantly more revenue for state
agencies, has been unfairly gaining quota at the expense of
commercial fishing. The Lake Erie Committee (LEC), the
intergovernmental body that sets fishing quotas in Ontario and the
U.S., is required to base catch quotas on scientific evidence
generated by field researchers. Commercial fishermen argue that the
LEC has for years based its fishing quota decisions not on science,
but on political and economic biases. Ontario's Ministry of Natural
Resources (OMNR) is reviewing the request of Ontario commercial
fishermen that Ontario unilaterally restructure how it manages
quotas. END SUMMARY.
--------------------------------------------- -
Lake Erie Committee Sets Annual Fishing Quotas
--------------------------------------------- -
¶2. (U) State and provincial fishery managers from Michigan, New
York, Ohio, Ontario, and Pennsylvania comprise the Lake Erie
Committee (LEC), one of five committees (one for each Great Lake)
that manage fish stocks in the Great Lakes under the direction of
the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, a Canadian and U.S. agency
established in 1955 by the Canadian/U.S. Great Lakes Convention on
Fisheries. Each year the LEC sets the total allowable catch (TAC)
for walleye and yellow perch, the two quota species shared by
Canadian and American fishermen. The TAC, representing the number
of fish that can be caught by sport and commercial fishers without
putting the stocks at risk, is allocated to each jurisdiction by an
area-based sharing formula. Ontario then defines the fishing quotas
for its own fisherman within the limits defined by the LEC's annual
TAC. The LEC's decisions have historically been based on fish stock
data provided by field researchers.
-----------------------------------
Ontario Fishermen Appeal the Quotas
-----------------------------------
¶3. (U) Ontario has 212 licensed commercial fishermen, based mostly
out of Wheatley and Kingsville. Ontario fishermen catch fish worth
about C$30 million a year at the docks. Once these fish are
processed in plants, the value of Ontario's annual catch jumps to
more than C$200 million, and employs 1,500 to 2,000 people. Gill
nets, which are banned in all of Lake Erie's U.S. states, are legal
and used widely in Ontario. Commercial netting of walleye or other
species of fish is not banned in Ontario waters.
¶4. (U) Since 2001, Ontario commercial fisherman have been openly
disputing the province's delegation of responsibility for setting
quotas to the LEC. Ontario fishermen argue that annual TAC
allocations of yellow perch and walleye are based on U.S. economic
and political biases, rather than scientific evidence. They assert
that the LEC structure (one member per jurisdiction bordering the
lake) and consensual decision-making process are inherently unfair
to Ontario, which owns about half of Lake Erie.
¶5. (U) During 2001-2004, TAC allocations were cut to their lowest
levels since Ontario first implemented specific fish quotas for Lake
Erie. Walleye TAC for 2001, 2002, and 2003 was set at a level 56%
lower than for 2000 and the final 2004 quotas for Ontario were about
27% lower than the 2003 allocations.
¶6. (U) In 2003 the LEC announced its intention to cut 2004 quotas in
the case of walleye by 40-60%, well before the 2003 fish stock data
was available. Ontario fishermen saw this as a clear admission that
the annual data analysis process was a mere formality used to
justify political decisions that had no scientific basis. Yellow
perch and walleye were hatched in record numbers in 2003, but U.S.
state fish regulatory agencies refused to admit the relevance of the
2003 data to the 2004 decision making process, further fuelling
resentment among Ontario commercial fishermen. The Ontario Ministry
of Natural Resources insisted that the LEC revisit the 2003 TAC
decision. The U.S. agencies, led by the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources, forced Ontario into a mediation process adjudicated by
the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. The mediation process
ultimately failed to produce a resolution, although cuts to the
walleye TAC ended up being somewhat lower in 2004 than had been
called for in 2003.
¶7. (U) After the mediation failed, Ontario's commercial fishermen
TORONTO 00000058 002 OF 003
formally appealed the 2004 Lake Erie walleye quotas to Ontario's
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act Hearing Officer. In his report
to the Minister of Natural Resources, the Hearing Officer wrote,
"...my opinion is that the current walleye quotas for Lake Erie are
unsupported by the data available at the hearing, and are therefore
not reasonable for the conservation of fish." Then-Ontario Minister
of Natural Resources (MNR), David Ramsey, cited obligations to the
LEC process in his justification for not unilaterally increasing
Ontario's TAC. Ontario commercial fisherman subsequently argued
that the province has inappropriately handed over its responsibility
to manage fish stocks to the LEC. The LEC determines the annual TAC
for all of Lake Erie, and, although MNR retains the absolute
authority to set Ontario's fish quotas, only once, in 1984, has the
Minister exercised that right outside of the LEC process.
¶8. (U) In March 2007, the LEC lowered the Lake Erie walleye TAC to
5.36 million fish, a dramatic decrease from the 9.886 million fish
allowed in 2006, reflecting poor hatches and recruitment in 2002,
2004, and 2006. The LEC also reduced the 2007 TAC for yellow perch
to 11.389 million pounds, down from 16.48 million pounds in 2006.
The LEC will not announce the 2008 TAC limits until March, but
commercial fishermen on both sides of the border expect the quotas
to be further reduced this year.
-----------------------------------------
Ohio Having Trouble Enforcing Fish Quotas
-----------------------------------------
¶9. (U) The Ohio State Division of Wildlife, has publicly stated that
it cannot effectively manage its fisheries because Division
scientists believe they cannot trust the fish catch data that
commercial fishermen report to them.
18 Ohio commercial fishermen and 7 businesses have been convicted of
over-fishing about 120 tons of regulated fish in the Ohio waters of
Lake Erie during the past few years. In June 2005, in Cuyahoga
County, Ohio, a two-year undercover investigation of commercial trap
net fishermen ended with Cuyahoga County prosecutors indicting 14
people and five businesses for money laundering, theft, and
receiving stolen property, including 40-80 tons of unreported yellow
perch.
¶10. (U) In a separate case, on January 24, 2006, in Sandusky, Ohio,
the captain of a boat belonging to a Port Clinton commercial fishing
company was fined US$12,100 for his part in a racketeering ring that
illegally netted thousands of pounds of yellow perch from Lake Erie,
according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
Division of Wildlife. In another case, announced on March 14, 2006,
in Columbus, Ohio, a Port Clinton commercial fishing company and its
owners, Richard Stinson and Orville Stinson, were ordered to pay
US$160,000 for their part in a racketeering ring that illegally
netted 40 tons of yellow perch which is equal to 6,133 daily sport
fishing bag limits.
¶11. (SBU) According to Jim Marshall, assistant chief of Ohio's
wildlife division, Ohio anglers exceeded their 2007 perch quotas of
833,000 pounds for the western basin of Lake Erie by more than 20%,
or 200,000 pounds. Commercial trap-netters were under their
allotted share of 216,000 pounds and sport fishing alone took some
800,000 pounds of perch, facts which Marshall says, will have a
significant impact on determining suitable fishing quotas for 2008.
--------------------------------------------- ---------
Fishing in U.S. Waters Is Evolving, Especially in Ohio
--------------------------------------------- ---------
¶12. (U) U.S. state governments have been shifting fish catch quotas
to the sport fishing industry away from the commercial fishing
industry on Lake Erie. U.S states issue only 32 commercial fishing
licenses: Ohio has 18; Pennsylvania has 11; Michigan has 3; and New
York has 0. There is no legal commercial fishery for walleye in
U.S. waters of Lake Erie, except for Pennsylvania waters, but both
walleye and perch are promoted as high quality sport fish by state
agencies.
¶13. (U) Ohio, wracked by fish poaching scandals, has been tightening
regulations on its small commercial fishing industry. Though the
volume of fish taken by commercial and sport fishermen in Ohio
waters is about equal, Ohio's sport fishing industry generates about
US$700 million in annual license fee revenue for the Department of
Natural Resources, while commercial fishing licenses provide only
US$10 million per year. In November 2006 the Ohio legislature
debated buying-out all the remaining commercial fishing licenses in
Ohio, but the bill failed to pass the legislature. Ohio Senate Bill
77, which requires commercial fishermen to submit to surveillance of
their activities, and to purchase, install, and maintain vessel and
catch monitoring devices, entered into force in October 2007. On
January 29, 2008, a newly formed group, the Great Lakes Commercial
Fishermen, announced that it has asked a federal court in Toledo,
Ohio to prevent promulgation of the regulations that would implement
TORONTO 00000058 003 OF 003
Ohio Senate Bill 77.
--------------------------------------------- ---------
Ontario Commercial Fishermen Sue Government of Ontario
--------------------------------------------- ---------
¶14. (U) Ontario's commercial fishermen have major concerns about the
structure and process of the LEC. They argue that the overwhelming
dominance of U.S. agencies in the management of a resource that is
shared roughly equally between two countries magnifies the conflict
between sport fishing and commercial fishing. The LEC, made up of
five members -- four U.S. states (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Michigan) and Ontario, operates by consensus. Ontario Commercial
Fisheries Association's (OCFA) Executive Director Peter Meisenheimer
argues "The LEC is a caricature of consensus with U.S. agencies
imposing their ideological opposition on the commercial fishing
industry through their numerical dominance... Committee decisions
are driven by an agenda to maximize the sale of sport fishing
licenses."
¶15. (U) OCFA Executive Director Meisenheimer says the primary threat
to Lake Erie's commercial fishing industry is clear cut: commercial
fishing is in a battle of survival against sport fishing advocates,
who have a vastly different view of how the lakes should be managed.
In September 2007, two Lake Erie fishermen announced that they were
taking the Ontario government to court on behalf of Ontario's
commercial fishing industry to challenge how fishing quotas are set.
Their suit, which is scheduled to be heard in April, alleges that
the LEC is favoring the U.S. sports fishing industry at the expense
of Ontario's commercial fishing industry.
---------------------------------------------
Ontario Fishermen Blame U.S. for Over-fishing
---------------------------------------------
¶16. (SBU) In response to dwindling fish stocks, the OMNR
unilaterally reduced Lake Erie commercial fishing quotas on January
1, 2008, alleging that the cuts were a combination of low fish
reproduction rates and U.S. over-fishing. OMNR has not publicly
announced fishing quota reductions; instead commercial fisherman are
being so-advised when they purchase their fishing licenses for the
2008 season. OMNR is expected to formally issue a press release
with the 2008 fishing quotas after the LEC meets on March 17, 2008.
¶17. (U) There is no general trend in fish stocks across the Great
Lakes that would explain the LEC's need to reduce TAC for commercial
fishing in Lake Erie. Different species of fish in each of the
lakes are experiencing different population fluctuations. In the
U.S. states that border Lake Erie, commercial fishing has been
significantly reduced. Ontario and U.S. commercial fisherman both
are blaming the lucrative sport fishing industry for reducing their
livelihood.
¶18. (SBU) COMMENT: Of the five Great Lakes, Lake Erie provides a
uniquely cooperative fisheries management case study as the two
countries have sought to manage one of the world's largest
freshwater commercial fisheries. Erie is the only lake with a
bi-national committee that sets an overall fish quota for the lake;
individual jurisdictions independently set fishing quotas on all of
the other Great Lakes. The cross-border management relationship
embodied in the LEC, has highlighted a growing rift between
commercial fishermen from both countries and the sport fishing
industry. The commercial versus sport fishing dispute is
exacerbated by the four to one ratio of U.S. states and Ontario that
make up the LEC. This has led commercial fisherman on both sides of
the border to ask their respective court systems to force provincial
and state governments to restructure the way quotas are set.
Ontario commercial fishermen are seeking to persuade the provincial
government to abandon the LEC quota-setting process in favor of
unilateral action. Ontario's new Minister of Natural Resources told
the Consul General earlier this month that she is looking into the
complaints and studying the whole issue. Ontario politicians,
facing significant job losses in the struggling manufacturing
sector, will be particularly sensitive to potential job losses in
the province's commercial fishing industry. End Comment.
NAY
1