IFMP Get out of jail free card

So the 2009 North Coast Salmon IFMP is a 137 page long document outlining the detailed planning, consultation, policy direction preparation that went into organising this season. Yet, all this can be thrown out the window with the inclusion of the paragraph copied below. This basically gives the DFO Area Chief carte blanche to change whatever is in the IFMP due to in-season variables.

4.1.2. In-season Decisions
In-season decision points vary from fishery to fishery depending on type, availability and quality of in-season information and the established advisory, consultation and decision-making processes. Decisions include opening and closure of fisheries, level of effort deemed acceptable,gear type restrictions, deployment of special projects, etc.
When possible, in-season decisions will follow a pre-season plan. However, the implementation and applicability of decision guidelines and pre-season plans can be influenced in-season by a number of factors. These include unanticipated differences between pre-season forecasts and inseason run size estimates, unexpected differences in the strength and timing of co-migrating stocks, unusual migratory conditions and the availability and timeliness of in-season information. A post-season multi-sector review of run returns, management actions and by-catch levels will occur

IFMP image © DFO