Nuu-chah-nulth Poise to Block Herring Fishery

[IronNoggin]

[h=1]An Open Letter to B.C. Commercial Herring Fishermen regarding 2015 season:[/h]January 6, 2015

In mid-December the Minister of Fisheries made the decision to open the west coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI) to commercial roe and spawn-on-kelp herring fisheries in 2015. Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations oppose this decision and recommend that B.C. commercial herring fishermen do not select the WCVI as their seine or gillnet fishing area for 2015.


Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations were successful in 2014 in obtaining an injunction prohibiting DFO from opening the WCVI commercial herring fisheries. The 2014 Federal Court decision contemplates that Nuu-chah-nulth Nations might have to reapply for an injunction if similar concerns persist in 2015. Unfortunately, the Minister’s decision to open the WCVI in 2015 is leading Nuu-chah-nulth Nations back to seeking an injunction against the 2015 commercial fishery; legal counsel has been instructed to prepare an application to the Federal Court. In 2014, commercial herring fishermen that chose the WCVI area were not allowed to fish.


Nuu-chah-nulth fishermen and community members remain concerned that WCVI herring stocks are not sufficiently rebuilt to allow commercial fishing. The DFO contracted WCVI spawn assessment observed less than 15,000 tons of adult herring spawn in 2014. In contrast, the DFO herring assessment model indicates that the 2014 spawn was twice that observed by the assessment divers. Nuu-chah-nulth fishermen and community members set trees and boughs in all known spawning locations in 2014 to collect spawn on bough for home use. All WCVI areas reported either no spawn on trees or very few layers of eggs, indicating very low herring abundance in 2014, corresponding with the dive spawn assessment of about 15,000 tons.


All four WCVI Nuu-chah-nulth commercial “J” spawn-on-kelp licences will not be operating in 2015 due to these on-going WCVI abundance concerns. Nuu-chah-nulth Nations request that B.C. commercial seine and gillnet herring fishermen choose to fish abundant herring stocks in the Strait of Georgia or Prince Rupert, where stocks remain strong. Again, Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations recommend that B.C commercial herring fishermen do not select the WCVI as their seine or gillnet fishing area for 2015.


On behalf of the 14 Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations,
Debra Foxcroft, OBC, President
Ken Watts, Vice-President

http://www.hashilthsa.com/news/2015...rcial-herring-fishermen-regarding-2015-season

 

[IronNoggin]

Support from United Fisherman and Allied Workers Union on herring fishery

January 8, 2015

An open letter to the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and BC commercial herring fishermen:

In support of the Nuu‐chah‐nulth Tribal Council request dated Jan 5, 2015, the United Fisherman and Allied Workers Union – Unifor recommends to all BC commercial herring fishermen that they do not select WCVI as their seine or gillnet area for upcoming 2015 herring season. The decision to support this request was not taken lightly and based on four factors: independent science review of the herring stocks in the WCVI region; our own fishermen’s assessment of the state of these WCVI stocks; respect for local First Nations insights; and willingness to build a collaborative understanding of the state of these herring in our shared ecosystem.

http://www.hashilthsa.com/news/2015...rman-and-allied-workers-union-herring-fishery

 

[Dogbreath]

Thanks for posting and letting us know-this is going to be interesting.

 

[Sangstercraft]

[h=1]An Open Letter to B.C. Commercial Herring Fishermen regarding 2015 season:[/h]January 6, 2015
Nuu-chah-nulth Nations request that B.C. commercial seine and gillnet herring fishermen choose to fish abundant herring stocks in the Strait of Georgia or Prince Rupert, where stocks remain strong.
http://www.hashilthsa.com/news/2015...rcial-herring-fishermen-regarding-2015-season

I've fished the Strait since 1980 and I've never seen the herring recover. Sure, there's big spawns in select locations, but the herring stocks that used to be in the areas I fished (Lasqueti Island, French Creek) have not recovered to the level of the late 80's. We used to find herring balls all over the place from the spring to late summer.

I'm all for putting a stop to herring fishing in certain areas until they recover.

 

[Klob]

Here's a novel idea. End the commercial harvest of herring period. Full stop.

 

[Fish Camp]

That would help the kelp.

 

[searun]

Wise choice in my view. Thank you

 

[bigdogeh]

Here's a novel idea. End the commercial harvest of herring period. Full stop.

and of roe also...

 

[uclueletcharters]

Thumbs up to the Nuu‐chah‐nulth Tribal Council good to see them take a stand on this matter for the best interest of the local herring stocks and not let the the financial interests of others supersede what's most important. Way to go!

 

[Whole in the Water]

More power to them in stopping the 2015 harvest. DFO needs to stop allowing commerical overharvesting of herring if we ever hope to increase the number of wild salmon on the coast!

 

[chevy guy]

The latest talk is to start rebuilding the gulf salmon to more historic levels. I'm sure if they let the herring come back the way it was even 20 years ago the salmon would follow. I remember how thick the herring used to be at Porlier Pass year round with incredable salmon fishing. There were even balls of herring in Chemainus Harbour where you could easly catch winter springs. All of the coast would be a better place if we stopped fishing the salmons main food. I'm sure the whole eco systom would do better including the whales.

 

[agentaqua]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...ritish-columbia-fishery-seabirds-environment/

Fighting Over Herring—the Little Fish That Feeds Multitudes
Pacific herring stocks are shadows of their former abundance. But the Canadian government wants to reopen fishing off British Columbia.

Picture of pacific herring swimming in a large ball for safety in numbers
Pacific herring in British Columbia, Canada, come near shore in massive schools every spring to spawn.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

Craig Welch
National Geographic
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 11, 2015

The Pacific herring—an oily, silvery, schooling fish—is rarely high on the list of marine animals people fret about.

But for the second straight year, the Canadian government has ignited a skirmish in British Columbia by moving to let fishing nets scoop up spawning herring, despite objections from scientists, Native people, and even commercial fishing groups.

"Last year it almost got to a war—locals were geared up to block fishing boats in port," said Tony Pitcher, a fisheries scientist with the University of British Columbia. "There were more police on the dock than there were local people."

This unusual battle is part of a global debate about the future of some of the oceans' most important fish: the abundant schools of sardines, squid, smelt, anchovies, and herring that serve as forage for larger animals in the sea.

Scientists like Pitcher argue that too few governments take into account the essential role these forage fish play in marine systems before deciding how many of them can be caught.

Herring, in particular, are energy-rich creatures that often swim close to shore and provide nutritious meals for everything from pelicans and sea ducks to humpback whales, sea lions, sharks, larger fish, and even bears.

"They are the Kobe beef of the forage-fish world," said Julia Parrish, a seabird ecologist with the University of Washington, in Seattle. "You have to eat four times as much of some other fish to get the same energy content."

Picture of pacific herring swimming in a large ball for safety in numbers
Herring travel in tight groups and sometimes perform "flash expansion" maneuvers, as each individual arcs away at once, shattering the school. It forms again seconds later.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
A Global Problem

In many places around the world, herring populations are quite healthy. Norwegian herring still support the globe's second largest fishing fleet.

But herring populations in other spots may be a mere fraction of what they once were. Archaeologists counting herring bones at 171 sites along North America's west coast recently found evidence they said suggested that the fish had been abundant for thousands of years. Modern herring stocks, on the other hand, swing wildly, and after a decline many don't roar back as fast or as high as they once did.

Herring populations outside Juneau, Alaska, crashed in 1982 and have never come back. Prince William Sound herring collapsed in 1993. Washington State's largest herring population has declined 90 percent since 1973, and herring that used to live for ten years now rarely survive more than four.

These issues aren't limited to North American waters. Some Baltic Sea herring populations have fallen below their long-term average, and the fish are smaller and thinner than they used to be. North Sea herring are getting older as fewer young fish survive. One of Japan's largest herring populations has been too small to fish for several decades.

"Herring are a linchpin in the food chain," said Phil Levin, who oversees ecosystem sciences at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. But throughout much of the Pacific, "what you see over and over is a pretty dramatic decline—there's less herring, they're smaller, and the older, bigger herring seem to be gone."

Scientists recently have started cataloging potential consequences.

In 2011, researchers found that everywhere they looked—the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific, or the seas around Antarctica—seabirds declined whenever forage fish numbers plummeted.

Last fall, scientists determined that diving seabirds like Western grebes or common murres, which depend on herring and other forage fish, are 16 times more likely to be dwindling than are birds that also eat other fish.

"There's obviously something going on with herring, and it's not good," said Ignacio Vilchis, formerly with the University of California, Davis, who led the seabird research.

Picture of a dense flock of various species of Gulls during spawning season in flight at Parksville Bay, Vancouver Island
The herring that return to Vancouver Island each spring attract birds, whales, sea lions, and even bears to feast on the energy-rich fish or their eggs.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARTIN SMART, ALAMY
Fishing for Roe

It's against this backdrop that conflict arose in Canada.

There, for decades, fishing boats had gathered tens of thousands of tons of herring to be used for fish oil. Then they instead began gathering them for their roe, which is popular in sushi. But along three major areas in British Columbia, the schooling creatures have been so slow to come back that there hasn't been a fishing season in a decade.

Yet when scientists with the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans recommended last year that fishing remain curtailed, the head of the agency, the minister in Ottawa, overruled her own team and ordered fishing open. (The season eventually was halted by court injunction.)

This year the government again is pushing to open the herring roe fishery—and once again both sides are dug in.

"We can't risk them taking any more," said Guujaaw, ex-president of the Council of the Haida Nation on Haida Gwaii, also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. "Herring are central to everything here."

To understand just how, consider the herring ballet that begins off the islands each spring.

That's when spawning fish swarm in by the millions, darting and turning in tight schools into bays and inlets, where they release so many eggs the emerald waters turn white and seem to come alive.

"It will look like the water is churning," said the NOAA's Levin. "Predators below are chasing the fish. Eagles and birds are suddenly everywhere, picking them off. Then come the seals and the killer whales. In a single cove you'll see the whole food chain at work."

The seals eat the fish, and the killer whales chase the seals. Humpback whales release bubbles that envelop balls of herring, confusing the fish long enough for the whales to slurp them up. Kelp is blanketed with herring roe, six or seven layers on a single strand. Gray whales vacuum the eggs off the bottom. When seaweed washes onto the beach, bears swipe eggs off the kelp.

It's noisy. It's electric. And it leaves a distinct smell in the air, a fresh, not-unpleasant odor similar to celery.

"The whole thing is pretty magical," Levin said.

Picture of fishermen harvesting during the herring spawn for roe
In Deep Bay, British Columbia, spawning herring turn the sea white as fishing boats line up to gather them for their roe.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE
Native People Depend on Them

The herring still come to Haida Gwaii, but in nowhere near the numbers they once did. No one can say for certain why.

Herring declines can have many causes: Overfishing, oil spills, toxic runoff, disease, coastal habitat destruction, and perhaps climate change can all contribute to the decline of a particular stock. Even the recovery of once-troubled populations of whales and marine mammals may depress herring numbers.

Levin, in Seattle, is part a team of scientists from California to Alaska investigating herring declines.

"Who knows?" asked Don Hall, a herring biologist with the Nuu-chah-nulth tribe along the west coast of Vancouver Island. "Fishing probably contributed, and then something else helped make it worse."

The Canadian government insists herring stocks have started improving, and that fishing nets would take only a small fraction. But outside scientists are skeptical—of the government's numbers, and also of the idea that herring numbers alone should be the primary basis for deciding whether to open the fishery.

"They didn't take into account the food herring eat or the organisms that rely on herring for food," Pitcher said. "It's just not precautionary enough."

Government officials declined to answer questions. They released a statement saying that they have "decided to allow harvest opportunities for Pacific herring," yet still plan to "take into full consideration all views."

The Native tribes on Vancouver Island and on Haida Gwaii don't believe that. They fear fishing will harm birds or jeopardize recovery of humpback whales and other marine mammals. They worry there won't always be enough herring for their own people, who smoke, fry, and pickle the fish, but also eat the eggs raw or on kelp, cook them with butter or salt, and freeze them.

"Even in this day and age, our people still gather a lot of their food," said Guujaaw.

With spawning season only weeks away, tribal leaders are preparing for more court battles—and the possibility of a blockade. They've found a surprising ally: The United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union, which might have been expected to favor reopening the herring fishery, has criticized the Canadian government and urged its members to avoid fishing for herring near tribal waters.

In a letter sent to Native leaders, union leaders said the government's rosy predictions "run counter to direct observations from our fishermen."

 

[agentaqua]

http://pwssc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Herring-Survey-Overview_Pegau_2010.pdf
Prince William Sound Herring Survey: Why Have They Not Recovered?

 

[finaddict]

No chance of DFO stopping herring this year. The quota for Georgia strait has almost doubled from 17,000 tons last year to 30,000 tons this year. We all knew 35 years ago when the Japanese Roe market went nuts that overharvesting herring would result in the decimated stocks we have today. No one needs to be a biologist to figure that out.

 

[Sangstercraft]

Harper apparently spent millions in Japan last year trying to rekindle the flagging interest in our herring roe.

 

[agentaqua]

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/ne...y-over-scientist-and-first-nations-objections

Feds to reopen herring fishery despite objections by First Nations and scientists
Conservative Fishing Minister reopened the herring fisheries against the views of federal scientists, a court heard.
Mychaylo Prystupa Feb 28th, 2015

bear eating herring bc west coast
Bear looking for herring on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Photo by Raincoast Conservation.
A federal court struck down a legal attack by coastal B.C. First Nations attempting to overturn the federal Conservative fishing minister's decision to reopen herring fisheries in coastal waters.

The oily fish—that ordinarily provides a springtime feeding frenzy for grizzlies, whales and wolves—has not been fished in three coastal pockets since 2005, due to over-fishing concerns.

Five B.C. First Nations, along with federal scientists, still believe herring stocks on the west coast of Vancouver Island, around Haida Gwaii and on the central coast are in a seriously fragile state. That's why the Aboriginal communities filed an injunction to stop the federal minister, who re-opened the resource to commercial fishing in January.

Controversially, the court heard that Minister Gail Shea, a Conservative MLA from PEI, made the decision against the views of her own federal scientists. Last year, Department of Fisheries and Oceans scientists told her:

“For the three [herring fishing] areas showing signs of recovery, it is recommended that they remain closed in 2014,” a DFO memo concluded.

The minister was not immediately available for comment late Friday.

Science ignored?

The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council said the Harper government’s decision to proceed against scientific recommendations is a familiar situation.

“The minister rejected the advice of her entire department — not just the scientists, but also her senior managers, and senior staff,” said the council’s fisheries scientist, Dr. Don Hall.

“She chose to open [the fishery]. Who convinced her to open it? It seems only logical that it was the industry,” he added.

But despite the protestations over the state of the herring— first to the minister, and later to the court — the First Nations' injunction was thrown out by a federal judge late Friday afternoon. The fishing industry lobby was pleased with the ruling, stating it confirms the herring levels are now sustainable.

It added that the federal government spends more than one million dollars annually calculating the size of the herring stock.

“The fishing industry is fine with not fishing… when [herring stocks] need to re-build,” said Greg Thomas, chair of the Herring Industry Advisory Board on Friday.

“But when the stocks resume, industry needs to access these areas to sustain the industry,” he added.

The industry group says First Nations and commercial fisheries are “not far apart,” since both want a sustainable fishery.

Herring spawn eggs roe - coastal BC - Ian McAllister Pacific Wild

Herring spawn eggs in tidal waters in the Great Bear Rainforest on B.C.'s central coast. Photo by Pacific Wild.

But the Nuu-chah-nulth dispute the federal methodology used to assess the health of the herring stocks. They state that their indigenous fishermen have seldom seen lower levels of herring roe (eggs) in their traditional nets.

“Last year, like they’ve done for hundreds and thousands of years, Nuu-chah-nulth went out, and up and down the coast of Vancouver Island, and they saw very poor evidence of spawn,” said Hall.

Police presence at fishing docks

The issue has polarized commercial fishing companies and Aboriginal peoples for two years, resulting in a high-level RCMP presence last year to keep the peace over the controversial fishing.

RCMP boats herring fishing Bella Bella Heiltsuk - Pacific Wild

RCMP boats stationed in Bella Bella in spring 2014 to keep the peace over the herring fishing. Photo by Pacific Wild.

Reportedly, 60 RCMP were dispatched to the Bella Bella area last spring.

“Last year, it was ridiculous. What did that cost the Canadian taxpayer, to have RCMP boats and staff up there, for the value of this fishery? It makes no sense,” said Hall.

Heiltsuk Tribal Council on the central coast has now asked the RCMP to clarify what kind of police presence they might send this year, said Hall.

The 'First Nations versus the industry' drama has even caught the attention of National Geographic this month, which reported on the collapse of herring stocks worldwide. It quoted Haida Gwaii officials worried the commercial fishing boats will harm the herring stocks further.

"We can't risk them taking any more," Guujaaw, ex-president of the Council of the Haida Nation told National Geographic. "Herring are central to everything here."

Friday’s court ruling means commercial fishing boats will be entitled to return to the coastal areas of concern.

But a further legal attack is coming. Several First Nations are filing a B.C. Supreme Court challenge in March, asking the court if indigenous rights have been ignored in the coastal fishing areas.

Ahousaht, Ehattesaht, Hesquiht, Mowachaht/Muchalaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations were all fighting for the injunction.

 

[IronNoggin]

Complete ******** from Harper's Motley Crew once again! Makes you wonder just how many "Judges" are riding in their back pocket!

“The minister rejected the advice of her entire department — not just the scientists, but also her senior managers, and senior staff,”

UnReal!

Nog

 

[OldBlackDog]

The question is why would DFO take this on?
What are they thinking?

Complete ******** from Harper's Motley Crew once again! Makes you wonder just how many "Judges" are riding in their back pocket!

“The minister rejected the advice of her entire department — not just the scientists, but also her senior managers, and senior staff,”

UnReal!

Nog

 

[agentaqua]

The question is why would DFO take this on? What are they thinking?

In 2 words OBD: "minor royalty".

That's what the Ministers down to the regional directors think they are in this government.

We are (IMHO - in their minds) are minor annoyances.

Long ago this government lost the moral authority to govern.

FN are they only sometimes successful group to question that assumed authority in court.

Even then - sometimes they loose.

The crooks are running the show.

Welcome to Harperland.

 

[Fixit]

IMO (for what thats worth) if a natural resource is in jeporady, it should be closed to harvest.

that should include herring, salmon, halibut, deer, moose, elk, bear etc.


would it suck if i couldnt catch salmon this summer because it was closed for conservation concerns? yes, but so be it if there will be fishing in the future for me and my kids