Herring quota in southwestern Nova Scotia, Bay of Fundy reduced again

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has again lowered the Atlantic herring quota in southwestern Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy, this time for 2024-27.

DFO has announced the total allowable catch for the fishery will be 16,000 tonnes per season over those four seasons. The 2023 allocation was 21,000 tonnes. 

“Atlantic herring, like many fisheries, faces challenges as a result of climate change, which has led to herring that are smaller in size and that have more difficulty surviving and reproducing in their ecosystem,” says a news release from the department. 

The Atlantic herring stock fell into a critical zone in 2018 and remains there, according to the department. To date, the quota has been cut by more than half. 

Previously, the industry and conservation groups have been at odds over quota amounts.

“We recognize the economic impacts this decision will have on the families and communities that rely on income from fishing and processing herring. But such a decision is necessary to ensure recovery and protect the resource for future generations,” said the release.