Where are the herring ?

Here is a link to a group concerned about herring stocks. I cannot confirm the legitimacy of this group. Please form your own opinion.

www.change.org

Herring disaster needs your help

Update March 17, 2022: The politicians listened to you! The Honourable Joyce Murray, our new Minister of Fisheries, wisely cut the herring fishery quota in half this year. But when the herring arrived to spawn in early March it became clear that the spawn was one of the smallest and lightest in...
www.change.org www.change.org
 
The sport fishing community has been pushing DFO for decades to end the commercial herring fishery.
Too little, too late.
 
We must continue to make our voices heard. I'm late to the party but i believe we still have to do what we can do. Clicking that link is a start. If that group can get some momentum in their area then it can be levered to other areas.

That Change.org petition has 105,000 signatures. I'm going to sign it. If any of you agree, jump on the bus and sign it and push it around.
 
Ironically, the above DFO link which outlines its theory of herring management also mentions the collapse of the local sardine populations... as if the mis-management of DFO isn't the cause of the collapse. Unfortunately, we can no longer allow the Gov. to simply run the system unchecked... maybe we never could and i'm only now paying attention.
My wife just introduced me to a book "Natures Best Hope". Its theory is that if Gov organizations, not just Canadian, were capable of the sustainable management of our ecosystem, we wouldn't be in the worsening conditions we are facing. Therefore, the best move forward is for all of us to act to manage the resources in front of us. In the book, the way to do this is to manage the ecosystem of your own yard by removing species that don't support bugs, bees and birds and replacing them with species that do. I guess what i'll do now that i find so much joy on the water is to join a local stream keeper group and look to support the herring and other fish, so that i can catch them later !
 
wildmanyeah said:
a recent meeting with DFO lead me to beleive that even if the returns are 10 times what they are today will still be seeing more recreational fisheries closed.
Click to expand...
are we talking herring or what?
looking to see what the total commercial harvest of herring is this year compared to last year.
 
Derby said:
The reality is who are we to tell another sector that they cannot fish?
Click to expand...
I think there's a big difference between access for all Canadians to recreation, heritage and tourism with a tax benefit to the whole country via a minimally impactful fishery. Compared to a, seemingly, very impactful fishery which benefits few (not nobody, and not that they're not cared about when saying this). The ability for the government to compensate or transition that group would be much simpler and cheaper than wiping out our slamon and tourism industries by devastating the herring stocks. So although I'm not saying we should shut it all down, the argument to do so is pretty cut and dry to anyone not actually involved in the fishery.
 
Perhaps.. But regardless of the recreation, heritage and tourism with a tax benefit to the whole country we are still using the resources and when you sit down to the table there is a pie there that is needed to shared... Recommations of following the best Science and cut backs based on that science is important.. A 50% cut was done this year and will need a couple years to asses what that does to the herring population.
 
Does cutting the harvest rate by 50% reduce the number of Herring taken by 50%?
I am looking forward to seeing how many tons of Herring were taken this year compared to say each of the last three years.
We have last years figures thanks to wildmanyeah
Are this years figures out yet?
AND based on other closures I believe it will take more than a couple of years to see any significant recovery in all areas that these herring migrate to and from.
 
gone fishin said:
Does cutting the harvest rate by 50% reduce the number of Herring taken by 50%?
I am looking forward to seeing how many tons of Herring were taken this year compared to say each of the last three years.
We have last years figures thanks to wildmanyeah
Are this years figures out yet?
AND based on other closures I believe it will take more than a couple of years to see any significant recovery in all areas that these herring migrate to and from.
Click to expand...

These are the latest figures from this year and i dont think they will change much, unless there is late herring that show up but it does not look that way. Looks like about 4300 tons.

The commercial roe Herring seine fishery opened in Area 14 at 04:00 hrs on March 3, 2022 (see FN0178). The validated catch is 819.719 tons of the 832.571 ton catch target. The seine fishery closed March 5 at 14:00 hrs (see FN0196). Seine fishing efforts targeted the Lambert Channel, Chrome Island, and Scallop Farm areas.

Effective 08:30 hrs Saturday March 5, 2022 and until further notice, portions of Areas 14 and 17 are open to Gulf licensed roe herring gillnets (see FN0195). The validated catch to date is 3,407 tons of the 6,788.44 ton catch target. The gillnet fleet is looking for opportunities.

Have to go back to pre pandemic in 2019 for a big harvest.

ALL GEAR
Total Quota 2019: 19,783 tons
Total Catch 2019: 15,552 tons
Percent of total roe fishery quota achieved: 79%
 
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Derby said:
The reality is who are we to tell another sector that they cannot fish?
Click to expand...
Its done all the time by certain other groups (ie salmon in the south arm) why not "WE" , are WE all not Canadians with an equal right ?? Or do we just wait until a another special group gives the Gov't false information resulting in seasonal or permanent shut down of more of our already limited sportfishing areas to "PROTECT THE HERRING AND ANCHOVIES" ???? As Sportfisherman we all get screwed when in reality it wasn't because of us things went sideways. Time for someone else to get that $hit end of the stick (and suck it up) so WE can enjoy our sport .
 
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Derby said:
Perhaps.. But regardless of the recreation, heritage and tourism with a tax benefit to the whole country we are still using the resources and when you sit down to the table there is a pie there that is needed to shared... Recommations of following the best Science and cut backs based on that science is important.. A 50% cut was done this year and will need a couple years to asses what that does to the herring population.
Click to expand...
I guess that leads me to wonder, what magical assessment lead them to beleive there was enough at all? Seemignly this turnout was shocking, wouldn't they have realized that during the assessment? Not arguing for or against but how accurate can this science be?
 
Rain City said:
I guess that leads me to wonder, what magical assessment lead them to beleive there was enough at all? Seemignly this turnout was shocking, wouldn't they have realized that during the assessment? Not arguing for or against but how accurate can this science be?
Click to expand...

I don't think it was shocking they sounded a lot of herring and there was miles and miles of spawn, The fishery just did not set up like they expected. The commercial fishery does not explain why in 2021 area 17 had a big spawn and this year pretty much nothing.

Herring is pretty well managed now. The commercial herring fishery is not the driver of abundance.
 
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Derby said:
The reality is who are we to tell another sector that they cannot fish?
Click to expand...
Government seems to print money at will. Those commercial licenses should be bought back as with many other types of fisheries .
I think we have all learned that commercial fishing is no longer sustainable for most species.
 
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