Masset mayor Barry Pages and chief administrative officer Trevor Jarvis met with an official from Fisheries and Oceans in Vancouver last week to discuss the village's harbour.
The meeting came after council members heard complaints from a local charter boat owner about the way the harbour is being run.
Mr. Jarvis said the village intends to meet with the Delkatla Slough Harbour Authority, the group responsible for running the harbour, and the people who use the facility, to try to mediate a solution to issues like where vessels tie up, whether moorage should be charged, and whether harbour users can post signs advertising their businesses.
Robin Richardson, a program officer with the small craft harbours branch of Fisheries and Oceans, told the Observer that although Fisheries and Oceans owns the Masset harbour, it has been managed by the Delkatla Slough Harbour Authority since 1992.
The harbour authority is completely responsible for day to day operations, Mr. Richardson said, while Fisheries and Oceans takes care of any major repairs. In most communities, the harbour authority charges moorage in order to raise money to pay for things like garbage pickup and minor repairs. Masset is apparently one of the few harbours that doesn't charge moorage, although Mr. Richardson said he believes it does charge for electricity.
Mr. Richardson said it was good to meet Mr. Pages and Mr. Jarvis, and he appreciates the interest the municipality is showing in the harbour.
"We're always open to new partners, if it's going to benefit the community and the commercial fishermen," he said. "The mayor seemed very earnest in working to resolve these issues."