Canadian fisherman are currently on the water for this season’s herring harvest in the Straits of Georgia. Here are a few updates from the local Canadian news sources.
On Tuesday alone, 1,800 tonnes were caught in the area between Comox Bar and Sandy Island.
The pre-season forecast for this year was 150,000 tonnes – a fraction of which is eligible for harvesting – which Spence said is considered “very healthy.” In-season estimates by the DFO seem to align with the forecast estimate, she added.
Pacific Herring are considered a keystone species for the area, Spence said, and are a source of food for predators such as salmon and sea lions.
The oily fish have also been a staple in B.C.’s fishing industry for the past 100 years, with roe herring accounting for 85 per cent of wholesale value of herring exports, most of which goes to the Japanese market.
Although the total export values were worth over $25 million in 2006, that figure declined to below $20 million in 2009, due to a variety of factors. Those include a flagging Japanese economy, declining stocks and competition from the Alaskan fisheries.
via Herring spawn sends fishers out into the Strait | Local News | Comox Valley Echo, Courtenay, BC.
via High hopes for new herring season | CTV Vancouver Island.
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