Calls for a last-minute moratorium are intensifying as the start of Pacific herring season in the Straight of Georgia approaches on Nov.24.

Concerns are resurfacing among some citizens as they fear the potential impact of these fisheries on the provinceB次元官网网址檚 herring stock.

Fisheries and Oceans CanadaB次元官网网址檚 (DFO) draft forecasted median spawning biomass of 80,288 tons in 2023 and 80,882 tons in 2024. This yearB次元官网网址檚 harvest target may reach a maximum of 10 per cent of this said biomass, allowing fishermen to catch roughly 8,000 tons of herring. The Food and Bait, and Special Use fisheries, will be authorized to catch about 3,000 tons, while the remaining 5,000 tons will go to roe fisheries in early spring of next year.

According to Jim Shortreed, a Victoria-based herring enhancement volunteer, these numbers are unsustainable.

After noticing the disappearance of numerous herring spawns south of Nanaimo, causing DFO to close several tidal areas to commercial fisheries, the herring advocate called for an indefinite moratorium to help these fish repopulate their former ground.

Using the analogy of the canary in the coal mine, Shortreed warned communities north of Nanaimo of a plight potentially creeping northward, slowly making its way to the shores of the Comox Valley, recognized as B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Pacific herring stronghold.

Sydney Dixon, a marine specialist at Pacific Wild, shared ShortreedB次元官网网址檚 viewpoint and urged for a last-minute and indefinite moratorium.

B次元官网网址淥ur stance at Pacific Wild is we would like to see a complete (coast-wide) moratorium on Pacific herring in B.C. until our stocks have had time to recover,B次元官网网址� said Dixon. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e at such a low biomass and spawning state right now.B次元官网网址�

While Dixon acknowledged that these forage fish have fairly large fluctuations within their population every year due to a variety of different factors, she identifies herring fisheries as the number one culprit responsible for the speciesB次元官网网址� decline.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 sure climate change probably does have an effect to some extent,B次元官网网址� said Dixon. B次元官网网址� The level of natural predation has been higher in recent years as well as natural mortality. But overfishing is the number one cause for herring declining, not just in the SoG, but in British Columbia as a whole.B次元官网网址�

Though the marine specialist recognized DFOB次元官网网址檚 decision to cut back harvest rates from 20 to 10 per cent since 2021 as a step in the right direction, she argued that this is not enough, reiterating the importance of an indefinite moratorium.

When asked about an estimated time for the suspension of these fisheries, Dixon provided no clear response.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really hard to sayB次元官网网址� It always depends, (since) the populations are always fluctuating,B次元官网网址� said Dixon. B次元官网网址淲e want a moratorium sooner rather than later because if you hit that point of no return, it takes a lot longer for them to come back.B次元官网网址�

Dixon further referenced a , which reported that 99 percent of the Salish SeaB次元官网网址檚 forage fish population, which includes the Pacific herring, disappeared within the first few decades of the arrival of European colonizers in the region. This occurred 60 years before any type of modern scientific documentation.

When asked what would be the ideal biomass, the marine specialist couldnB次元官网网址檛 define the exact number.

B次元官网网址淭he herring stock has declined so precipitously in the SoG that I think that our baseline is B次元官网网址榓 lot of fishB次元官网网址�, (but this) is inaccurate in and of itself,B次元官网网址� said Dixon. B次元官网网址淚 think only Indigenous knowledge can tell us what a healthy herring population looks like. Since weB次元官网网址檝e had colonial fisheries here, it hasnB次元官网网址檛 been healthy really.B次元官网网址�

The other side of the coin

Ronnie Chickite, elected Chief of the regionB次元官网网址檚 We Wai Kai Nation and herring fisherman with nearly three decades of experience, disagreed with DixonB次元官网网址檚 assessment.

B次元官网网址淎bsolutely not, I do not agree with (what Pacific Wild) is saying,B次元官网网址� said Chickite. B次元官网网址淭his past year was probably the best fishing IB次元官网网址檝e ever seen in the 29 years of me doing this job. I literally caught my quota in less than 12 hoursB次元官网网址� everybody around us was catching their quotas in record times.

B次元官网网址淓ven Ray Charles could have sat there and caught herring. (That goes) to show how good it was.B次元官网网址�

Noting that roughly 50 percent of the commercial herring fishery licenses in the province are Indigenous-owned, the Chief stressed that a moratorium would deal a substantial economic blow to many coastal First Nations throughout the province that heavily rely on these fisheries.

B次元官网网址淲e should have a say, as Indigenous leaders, on what happens in our territory,B次元官网网址� said Chickite. B次元官网网址淎n (indefinite) moratorium would decimate the First Nations involved in these fisheries. If we were seeing a decline, I would definitely be saying somethingB次元官网网址� but these are the best (herring stocks) IB次元官网网址檝e seen in 30 years.

B次元官网网址淭hese (wildlife conservation) guys seem to be trying to push more of a narrative.B次元官网网址�

Outside the context of First Nations, third-generation fisherman Lyle Pierce expressed his concern about the broader consequences of an indefinite moratorium. This measure could potentially sound the death knell for an entire industry that generated in B.C.B次元官网网址檚 coastal economy back in 2016.

B次元官网网址淲ithout these fisheries, weB次元官网网址檝e got no fish processing plants, no truckers, dying spin-off industries, and families without work,B次元官网网址� said Pierce. B次元官网网址淐ity people donB次元官网网址檛 (understand thatB次元官网网址檚) how we survive in these rural communities by either fishing, logging, or mining.B次元官网网址�

Healthy numbers

Supporting Chickite and equally critical of Dixon and ShortreedB次元官网网址檚 claim is Robert Morley, the chair of the Herring Industry Advisory Board.

B次元官网网址淭he herring stocks in the SoG are as strong as theyB次元官网网址檝e ever been and over the last decade theyB次元官网网址檝e been growing,B次元官网网址� said Morley who is also acting as the executive director of the Herring Conservation and Research Society. B次元官网网址淭he hard data that weB次元官网网址檝e had to look at the stocks has been around since 1951. ThatB次元官网网址檚B次元官网网址� probably the longest string of scientific data collected as rigorously as that of almost any fishery in the world.B次元官网网址�

Similar to Dixon, Morley acknowledged that herring populations fluctuate from year to year. However, he argued this natural variation in numbers should not be a cause for concern. Instead, the focus should be on how the data is interpreted.

B次元官网网址淚f we look at the total population, it is almost three times that amount (of the spawning population),B次元官网网址� said Morley. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 a very large biomass that is out there to service the ecosystem.B次元官网网址�

While herring advocates may contend that overfishing led to the decimation of local fish populations, Morley presents an alternative perspective.

He explained that the Pacific herring, primarily a migratory species, exhibits diverse spawning behaviours, influenced by numerous environmental factors such as increasing predation, pollution, and water temperature, as well as the disappearance of coastal eelgrass beds and suitable spawning grounds, among other variables.

This would potentially explain the closure of commercial herring fisheries south of Nanaimo, as Shortreed highlighted.

According to Morley, this trend is not exclusive to Vancouver Island; a similar phenomenon was observed in Washington StateB次元官网网址檚 Puget Sound, which witnessed a decline in its herring population. He added that spawning locations have consistently changed over the last century.

Coincidentally, several uncommon herring spawnings have been observed across the provinceB次元官网网址檚 coastline in recent years, notably in Indian Arm, Burrard Inlet, Squamish, and Powell River noted Morley.

In light of this observation, he emphasized that fishing these smaller aggregates would make little to no economic sense. Given that roe fisheries occur over a few days, fishermen target the largest schools to optimize their catch.

Despite consistently observing steady healthy biomasses of these small forage fish, Morley criticized the decision of former DFO minister Joyce Murray to reduce the 2021/2022 harvest rate to 10 per cent.

B次元官网网址�(The 20 per cent harvest rate) was based on the science that has shown to be acceptable and sustainable,B次元官网网址� said Morley. B次元官网网址淢y understanding is that she didnB次元官网网址檛 trust her own scientist.

B次元官网网址淭he reality is that herring populations are healthy now and they would be assessed as healthy under any kind of scientific stock assessment. We have demonstrated that a 20 per cent harvest rate is sustainable and the stocks will continue to stay healthy.B次元官网网址�

Both Chickite and Pierce concurred with this perspective.

Murray justified the cut back on Pacific herring fisheries, B次元官网网址渋ntensified risks to wild salmon, for which herring is an important food source.B次元官网网址� However, Morley notes that between the abundance of the salmon populations and B.C. herring stocks was established.

Moving forward

While Chickite, Morley, and Pierce unanimously agreed that herring fisheries do not currently pose a threat to this keystone species, all three acknowledged the harmful impacts of overfishing, which resulted in the herring collapse in the 60s.

Since then, the fishing industry has attempted to shed its negative reputation.

B次元官网网址�(Nowadays) herring fisheries are heavily controlled and are fully monitored,B次元官网网址� said Morley. B次元官网网址淭here are DFO patrol vessels on the (scene) observing all the activities and itB次元官网网址檚 happening in a relatively small area. They have over-flights that can see exactly whatB次元官网网址檚 going on. You have to offload the herrings (in front of an) independent observer, counting the catch. We basically never go over the quota.B次元官网网址�

And even if one could manage to make it through this seemingly airtight process, the risk of getting caught greatly outweighs the possibility of rapid financial gains.

B次元官网网址淯nder todayB次元官网网址檚 quota systems, (no one is) interested in overfishing, getting sued, going to court, and having all their stuff seized. ThereB次元官网网址檚 no benefit to it,B次元官网网址� added Pierce.

Beyond presenting a liability, Pierce emphasized that overfishing fundamentally conflicts with the fishermanB次元官网网址檚 livelihood by essentially endangering its own future.

B次元官网网址淣o fisherman wants the (herring stocks) to collapse,B次元官网网址� said Pierce. B次元官网网址淲hy would we? Everything we own would be worthless. We would have no jobs. We couldnB次元官网网址檛 feed our families. No fishermen would want to overharvest.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淔ishermen arenB次元官网网址檛 as greedy as people want to make us. WeB次元官网网址檙e not that dumb. We want fisheries for 50 years down the road. ThatB次元官网网址檚 what itB次元官网网址檚 about: sustainable fisheries and feeding people.B次元官网网址�

Yet, Pierce recognized that past abuses are complicated to exonerate.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檒l be honestB次元官网网址� our industry as a whole never did its due diligence,B次元官网网址� said Pierce. B次元官网网址淲e didnB次元官网网址檛 do a good job of educating the public on what we do with our fish, where it comes from, or how itB次元官网网址檚 managed.

B次元官网网址淚 think all fishermen have a feeling that theyB次元官网网址檙e out there trying to put food on the table for Canadians.B次元官网网址�

Since the 1960s, significant changes have occurred. In response to past exploitation, environmental voices emerged across the country, aiming to prevent future injustices. Coincidentally, fishing practices evolved, guided by increasingly rigorous scientific input and stringent governmental policies.

As Dixon proposed, perhaps now is the time to move on and pass the torch to our provinceB次元官网网址檚 First Nations, entrusting them with the future of herring fisheries.

B次元官网网址�(People) need to trust Indigenous knowledge and understand the rights of Indigenous people as we are the stewards of the lands and ocean. (ItB次元官网网址檚 our priority) to maintain sustainable stocks (for the benefit of) the overall ecosystem.B次元官网网址�

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