Editor:
Federal Fisheries Minister, Gail Shea is absolutely misguided in her approval of commercial seining and gill netting of Pacific coast herring.
This method of harvesting herring roe is not preserving critical herring biomass which is at an all time low when compared to the herring biomass of my childhood days on Quadra Island. The 1950s and 1960s were a time of herring abundance with complementary abundance of salmon, sea birds, ling cod, rock cod etc, The list goes on.
The only herring roe harvesting method that should be approved and permitted should be SOK— spawn on kelp — for spawning mature herring biomass maintenance and for stock recovery.
We must strongly voice our support for Haida, Heiltsuk and Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations' opposition to Gail Shea's misguided decision to permit 4.067 tons of Pacific herring harvesting from the west coast of B.C.
The total of 19,700 tons of Pacific herring harvest being permitted this year is absolutely misguided; in particular the 15,633 tons to be harvested from the Salish Sea is unacceptable and unsustainable.
Spawn on kelp should be the only permitted herring role harvesting methodology permitted for the next seven generations.
I understand that Gail Shea has also permitted Krill harvesting in the Salish Seal; another unacceptable fisheries. Krill is the foundational feed for all marine fish species and sea birds.
The combination of Krill harvesting and seining and gillnetting of herring will eventually lead to fish, mammal and bird extinction.
This misguided Conservative federal government decision making must be strongly opposed.
Roy Sakata
Former commercial fisherman