Tag Archives: B.C.’s herring fishery

Red herring? Facing off over the sustainability of B.C.’s herring fishery

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 province’s herring stock. According to Jim Shortreed, a Victoria-based herring enhancement volunteer, these numbers are unsustainable. When asked what would be the ideal biomass, the marine specialist couldn’t define the exact number. Ronnie Chickite, elected Chief of the region’s We Wai Kai Nation and herring fisherman with nearly three decades of experience, disagreed with Dixon’s assessment. >>click to read<< 08:52

David MacKay – Strait to the source, a fisherman’s view of B.C.’s herring fishery

The herring fishery “war” in B.C., as referred to in a previous publication in the Tyee, began with a petition and has since devolved into a fight that pits conservationists against fishermen. This fight does nothing but create space between these two sides that blocks any opportunity for reasoned dialogue or conversation. Ian Gill’s article last month only serves to bolster this narrative. By painting conservationists as saints and fishermen as villains, you dehumanize the people and communities whose livelihoods, and indeed lives, have been built on responsible stewardship of our coast. >click to read<10:37