Canada: Saanich group wants pause in herring fishery in Strait of Georgia

The Saanich Inlet Protection Society is the latest organization to call for a moratorium on the herring fishery in the Strait of Georgia. The group is asking the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to hit the pause button in its submission on the proposed Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for herring that will be finalized in the coming weeks. Michael Simmons, vice-president of the society, said DFO is in the last stages of putting its plans together for the coming year and the society wants the allowable catch to be zero. It’s also asking for a recovery plan for some areas of the strait. “The recovery plan would mean, first of all, that you don’t fish. Secondly, look at habitat improvement and whether there are things that could be done to encourage the fish to come back.” Simmons said the society studied the data available for the herring fishery and determined there is now almost no herring spawn in southern areas of the strait, while the catch in northern regions is ...