Just to keep you all up to date with the latest issue. Some of us have purchased oyster areas from different people and as a result we have more than one J number as the J numbers are associated with our DA’s. We are not allowed to have more than 1 registration number on board our vessels, even if they are not being displayed. It is considered by police/boating patrol to be like carrying a second set of number plates in the boot of your car.
Tim has been told by Fisheries that he will have to change his DA at a cost of $1100 per DA. To overcome this problem, John D has met with the senior patrol officer and he will email the boating patrol officers to tell them not to enforce the connection between a DA and the J number. You must have you DA/RAA with you and this is all that will be needed if you are using a boat with a J number that doesn’t match the oyster area you are working on.
I will be sent a copy of the email and will make it available to all growers as it is important to have this in writing should it be challenged.
I have now spoken at length with Phil Hambly from the Transport Regulation Branch about this problem in the hope it could be fixed in the new regulations. Believe it or not because of other problems with getting existing registration comparable with the new regulations they now see the best option is that we will have to display 2 registration numbers..the old J number and the new registration number. This will of course mean changing the laws about displaying 2 registration numbers :-). This whole Federal regulation of commercial fishing is turning out to be a complex nightmare for everyone and Phil advised me today that they have applied to extend the changeover period another 12 months to 2017 at least. I have informed Phil that I will continue to put obstacles in the way and until the change over date has passed 2025 , by then I will have retired and won’t care less how much inconvenience or expense it will cause you guys 🙂
