N.S. fishing industry, conservation groups at odds over new herring quota

Nova Scotia’s fishing industry and conservation groups are at odds over a new herring quota set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) this season.

The quota, or total allowable catch (TAC), off southwestern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick is now limited to 21,000 tonnes for 2023, an 11 per cent reduction from the previous year.

The commercial herring fishery is worth about $19.5 million, according to DFO.

Herring play a pivotal role in the ocean ecosystem as they serve as a crucial food source for larger fish and whales.

In an email to CBC News, DFO said the herring stock in the region is in a critical zone — where serious harm is occurring — for the fifth year in a row, based on the most recent assessment.

The quota for the area has been on the decline, DFO said, dropping by 50 per cent since 2018.

“This recent [total allowable catch] reduction will help contribute to a sustainable, prosperous fishery in the long term, while minimizing economic strain on our coastal communities,” the email said.

But the new quota doesn’t sit well with Oceans North and the Ecology Action Centre.

The environmental organizations issued a joint statement this week that said the 21,000-tonne quota is “considerably higher than the maximum of 14,000 recommended by science.”

Katie Schleit, fisheries director at Oceans North, said a 2019 advisory committee of industry stakeholders and scientists looked at ways to rebuild the herring population.

Schleit said the committee considered a number of scenarios with quota levels ranging from zero to a maximum of 14,000 tonnes.

“The worry is that if we continue to fish at these high levels, we’re going to see continued depletion and continue deterioration of its benefits,” she said

“It’s really perplexing to us that the DFO would choose once again, knowingly choose a quota, that’s not going to help reach some of the benefits of this important fish.”

Schleit said the new quota appears to be based on economic assessments and ministerial discretion as opposed to scientific evidence.

Industry disappointed

Ian McIsaac, president of the Seafood Producers Association of Nova Scotia, said the industry is disappointed that the quota was cut.

McIsaac said a number of different quotas were tested and presented to the herring advisory committee in 2019, including one for more than 21,000 tonnes. He said this indicates that a higher catch was possible this year, based on DFO’s own science.

He said the new quota of 21,000 tonnes is “not compatible” with where the fishery needs to go, and will make it harder to sustain fleet operations.

“The cost per unit increases for every bit of [the total allowable catch] that decreases, so it certainly calls into [question the] viability of the operations of these processing plants,” he said. 

“It’s certainly a challenge for their operations.”

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