Herring Fishery

[tincan]

Sucks for the herring fishermen for sure but I've gotta think given this gov't there will be financial compensation of some sort.

Given the SOG herring fishery is the last one remaining on BC's coast it's safe to say the herring fishery as a whole in BC has been managed poorly (shocker!). While many in DFO science and others agree that the SOG herring biomass is at an OK level and that 20% of that biomass is a sustainable harvest level, there is a LOT we still don't understand about SOG herring populations, including very important things like migration patters, genetic stock differences, etc. We know herring are important for salmon diets (both juvenile and adult salmon) and we also know that herring populations coastwide have declined drastically, resulting in closures in all other areas outside of the SOG. We also know (for those of us on the water a fair amount) that herring seem to have disappeared in recent decades in locations they used to be plentiful in (think of all the places you used to cast a herring jig that came back full that no longer do). Same can be said for spawning locations... they almost all spawn around hornby/denman and that didn't used to be the case.

My best understanding (and I am not a herring researcher but do chat with experts in the field) is that, like salmon, herring have more genetic diversity than we give them credit for. This diversity means there's variability in terms of migration times/locations, spawning times/locations, growth timing, etc. By treating the SOG herring a single population (ie biomass) I think we've inadvertently fished out some of the diversity that is important to the overall health of the ecosystem and I think that by scaling back this fishery it might give these depressed herring stocks time to re-build.

While not the silver bullet for why many BC salmon populations are doing poorly, I think having more herring in the SOG can only help our salmon so I'm for this harvest reduction ... and I hope the fisherman impacted are provided some sort of relief.

 

[onefish]

New management strategy, react to the noise and then pass it off as science. No end to how this could play out.

 

[OldBlackDog]

Fisheries Minister Discards Science in Pacific Herring in the Strait of Georgia Decision

“Shocked and devastated,” says the Herring Conservation and Research Society’s Rob Morley of Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray’s decision to reduce the harvest rate on Pacific herring in the Strait o…

fisherynation.com

This pretty much tell it all, the lobby groups have won this war.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Interesting what google pulled up. Not hard to see why that decision was made.

 

[Hardy Guy]

I wonder what Suzuki thinks of the rec salmon fishery. Might be a sign of decisions to come.

 

[wildmanyeah]

I wonder what Suzuki thinks of the rec salmon fishery. Might be a sign of decisions to come.

the politics of the rec fishery, depend on where it is in BC. The areas that have more favourable First Nations relationships are better off. Tho even in good areas with decent relationships there is still much to come and then ultimately the looming allocation policy. Not something I want to see negotiates under the liberals.

 

[SpringFever552]

I wonder what Suzuki thinks of the rec salmon fishery. Might be a sign of decisions to come.

Only for he, none for thee

 

[abl]

Only for he, none for theeOnly for he, none for thee

Suzuki will still be flying off to the most expensive lodges all paid for by the uninformed who throw money at him to return to his mega mansion to reap his rewards

 

[Cookie's Cutter]

I 100 % agree BA. The worst part is there is no mention in the Press Release that this management action has anything to do with herring stock status ......... it says low salmon returns, floods etc. This is not happening because of science showing the SOG herring fishery needs to be reduced. I think people could live with a herring reduction if there was a reason for it and it was recommended by science.

The reason for it… no human being in British Columbia eats these herring. They are almost all used for pet food, and feed for the fish farming industry. Do you really thing that your 6 trays of herring you bought this year is even a drop in the bucket?

To say that the Recreational Salmon fishery will be targeted next is actually a red herring. People actually eat BC Salmon.

 

[SpringVelocity]

The reason for it… no human being in British Columbia eats these herring. They are almost all used for pet food, and feed for the fish farming industry. Do you really thing that your 6 trays of herring you bought this year is even a drop in the bucket?

To say that the Recreational Salmon fishery will be targeted next is actually a red herring. People actually eat BC Salmon.

We are already being targeted. That ship sailed a few years ago. I don't back things not based on science. If we are going rejoice everytime another sector gets brought down without science then we are also a part of the problem.

Why should people listen to us? I am sick and tired of the policies on our fishery being run by environmental groups. There is so much lack of transparency where the funding for their operations come from. Who they speak for. Question on who groups like MCC represent. When I see a direct link with a minister to a well known environmental group that is a huge red flag.

What do we do? We complain about not having mark selected fisheries etc. Fight for scraps department leaves behind. Fight against ourselves and argue while these environmental groups laugh at us.

When are the anglers on this forum and beyond going to realize your being played? These groups don't want us on water. Just like don't want herring fishing. It will continue to everything is closed. Sorry just being real here. It's almost like your waiting for the fishery to close.

You just wait and see what is coming. We have a tough road ahead of us now. This is no reason to celebrate. All fisheries should be managed on science not politics. If not then why have scientists?

So sick of this crap honestly.

 

[steeler]

What science is there that says herring stocks are healthy, just saying this isn't based on science doesn't make it so. What science shows that herring stocks are healthy and that salmon have an abundance of forage anywhere. Beaches historically all across the island and the coast used to get blanketed in herring sex byproducts where did that go. Why is that not a thing anymore except for a small area where it is no where near what it was. I don't need science to tell me they are almost extinct its called common sense if they aren't where they were where are they now. But I suppose the science the government has also confirms their lack of abundance. dfo probably doesn't want anyone to know about the science because it would only prove their incompetence and corruption over the years in not shutting it down years ago. I hope as a sports fisherman that all commercial salmon fishing gets shut down, its at the same point as old growth logging either we stop it now or it continues till its all gone then you're out of a job anyways. There will be complaining and blaming everyone under the sun except themselves for over harvesting, but all resources run out eventually if you keep extracting to nothing. Blame science all you want but when there is science its ignored because of economic impacts, enough having it both ways either we don't give a **** or we do, not both. It doesn't matter now why salmon stocks are so low they need every extra bit of help they can get not people kicking the can saying it wasn't my industry's fault so we wont change. If guys cant catch salmon on gear instead of bait quit fishing you suck.

 

[wavetamer]

you suck if you have to use riggers, flashers , spoons, hootchies !!!!! come on man those kind of comments are crazy, LETS JUST TAKE THE FUN RIGHT OUT OF FISHING. So this is where were going ban bait and fish gear ???wow

 

[gone fishin]

Beaches historically all across the island and the coast used to get blanketed in herring sex byproducts where did that go. Why is that not a thing anymore except for a small area where it is no where near what it was. I don't need science to tell me they are almost extinct its called common sense

A FACT supporters of the Herring Roe fishery want to ignore or deny.
Herring stocks in and around Southern Vancouver are very low. Nowhere near the healthy levels of the past and the birds and salmon that depend on them are suffering!

 

[SpringVelocity]

A FACT supporters of the Herring Roe fishery want to ignore or deny.
Herring stocks in and around Southern Vancouver are very low. Nowhere near the healthy levels of the past and the birds and salmon that depend on them are suffering!

Then stop sport fishing salmon then? Can't have it both ways my friend.

Those sea lions are really struggling with herring abundance. LOL

 

[wildmanyeah]

What science is there that says herring stocks are healthy, just saying this isn't based on science doesn't make it so. What science shows that herring stocks are healthy and that salmon have an abundance of forage anywhere. Beaches historically all across the island and the coast used to get blanketed in herring sex byproducts where did that go. Why is that not a thing anymore except for a small area where it is no where near what it was. I don't need science to tell me they are almost extinct its called common sense if they aren't where they were where are they now. But I suppose the science the government has also confirms their lack of abundance. dfo probably doesn't want anyone to know about the science because it would only prove their incompetence and corruption over the years in not shutting it down years ago. I hope as a sports fisherman that all commercial salmon fishing gets shut down, its at the same point as old growth logging either we stop it now or it continues till its all gone then you're out of a job anyways. There will be complaining and blaming everyone under the sun except themselves for over harvesting, but all resources run out eventually if you keep extracting to nothing. Blame science all you want but when there is science its ignored because of economic impacts, enough having it both ways either we don't give a **** or we do, not both. It doesn't matter now why salmon stocks are so low they need every extra bit of help they can get not people kicking the can saying it wasn't my industry's fault so we wont change. If guys cant catch salmon on gear instead of bait quit fishing you suck.

the Salish sea project just finished a 10 year study looking at basically everything.

lack of food for salmon in the Salish sea is not an issue at all.

humpback are increasing, seals and sea lions are all increasing in the Salish sea.

do you really think these predators would be increasing if they had nothing to eat??

the also found that bait is staying deeper in the water then they did historically perhaps because of the predator pressure.

 

[gone fishin]

This whole debate reminds me of trying to suggest to an anti vaxer to get vaccinated.
when's the last time you saw someone jigging herring off the Gorge Bridge or Active Pass

 

[seascene]

..... and there is this: "Chinese fishing fleet, one study claimed it could have as many as 17,000 boats trawling the world's oceans" ....
Google up "Chinese fishing fleet" .... you will see every headline to the effect of "Depletion plundering of the worlds oceans happening etc .. This includes salmon that will never even approach a spawning coast.

 

[wildmanyeah]

The Synthesis Report identified two overarching phenomena behind declining Salish Sea marine survival:

1. Changes in food supply. Young salmon, especially Chinook and Coho, need more and larger prey as they grow during their early marine period. Shifting environmental conditions, including weather, nutrients, and temperature, appear to be driving shifts in both phytoplankton and zooplankton at the base of the food web. Climate change is a likely underlying factor behind these changes, but the complexity of these dynamics is still not fully understood, and is a crucial area for further research. At the same time, populations of forage fish, including herring and eulachon, have also declined in many parts of the Salish Sea, limiting another important food source for salmon.
2. Increase in predators. Thanks to successful protections for marine mammals introduced on both sides of the border in the 1970s, harbor seal populations have exploded around the Salish Sea. While salmon and steelhead are a small component of the overall seal diet, the sheer number of seals means that even that small portion of their diet represents a major portion of juvenile salmon mortality – between 5 and 60 percent. Human-made changes in the environment contribute to predation “hot spots,” such as log booms or migration barriers like Puget Sound’s Hood Canal Bridge, where seals have easy access to large numbers of fish. Reduced availability of forage fish, lack of complexity in nearshore habitats, and the consolidated timing of Chinook hatchery releases may also affect the number of salmon consumed by seals in a given year or location.

Evidence also indicates that local factors contribute significantly to salmon health and survival in specific populations:

• Habitat degradation, especially in crucial estuary and nearshore marine habitats for juvenile Chinook
• Toxic contaminants near urban areas and hotspots of infectious agents in the Strait of Georgia
• Differences in behavior and life histories within and among salmonid species interact with all the other factors above.

Research Findings - Salish Sea Marine Survival Project

The Marine Survival Project examined 21 hypotheses about the most likely factors influencing juvenile salmon survival in the Salish Sea. The evidence from more than 90 individual studies supports the conclusion that many different factors are important in marine survival, and that no single...

marinesurvivalproject.com

 

[wildmanyeah]

Instead of cutting fisheries why are they not instead investing in:


Recover herring populations, focusing on both abundance and diversity. LLTK, the Nisqually Indian Tribe and other partners are testing indigenous methods to recover and redistribute herring populations, including the use of evergreen trees as artificial spawning substrate.

Build resilience in salmon by promoting diversity in their migration behavior. This idea involves restoring habitat, introducing different varieties of Chinook (eg. spring, summer, and late fall run) to rivers they likely once inhabited, and experimenting with hatchery-rearing strategies that vary the timing for when fish are released into the environment. These actions could make salmon more resilient to mismatches with prey and help reduce competition, disease, and predation.

 

[ILHG]

This government has ZERO concerns for economic fall outs. There only concerns are pleasing key ridings that enable them to maintain power.

They will do nothing on the Macro level that will actually make a change today. Look who our Minister of Environment is.. Things are about to get Stupid in this Country. I would hate to be the next political party who has to try to fix this mess if it's even possible.