By Hope Lompe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Fishing communities, harvesters and advocates are welcoming British Columbia’s intention to work with the federal government to reform the purchase system for fish licences and quotas for B.C.’s commercial fishing industry. As part of the Coastal Marine Strategy unveiled last week, the province says it’s moving toward an owner-operator system for quota and licences. Under the new system, licence and quota holders would also need to be active fish harvesters — something advocacy groups and First Nations have been requesting for years. The current individual transferable quotas (ITQ) system allows corporations and foreign investors with deep pockets to buy the right to catch fish for the highest price, making it increasingly difficult for individual harvesters, First Nations and generational fishing families to stay…
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