Closure Of Swiftsure Banks Aims To Discourage Anglers From U.S.

VANCOUVER, B.C. - The Swiftsure Banks fishery off southwest Vancouver Island will be closed for 10 months to try to reduce the catch by U.S. sports fishermen, a federal Fisheries Department manager said yesterday.

"It's a redistribution of the quota," said Ed Zyblut, manager of the Canadian agency's offshore division.

The Swiftsure closure, effective Sunday, is not a conservation measure but an attempt to increase the catch by Canadian commercial fishermen and reduce it for recreational fishermen, mostly Americans, Zyblut said.

"It's a small area on the Canada-U.S. boundary. There is an opportunity to catch in other parts of the coast - the fish don't just sit there," he said.

But Zyblut noted that for many U.S. recreational fishermen, "it will be farther for them to go and I don't know whether they will."

The department discussed the move with all parties involved, he said.

The bank is a popular spot for American anglers with Canadian licenses who fish out of Neah Bay on the northwest tip of Washington state. They fish primarily for halibut, ling cod and other bottomfish.

"This will be major economic blow to Neah Bay," said Tony Floor of the Washington Department of Fisheries.

A deeper portion of Swiftsure extends south into U.S. waters, which will remain open, Floor said.