Herring stock struggles continue

Local Journalism Initiative
·3 min read

Herring stocks in the south of the Gulf of St. Lawrence continue to struggle as the federal moratorium on spring herring fishing passes the two-year mark.

Herring in Atlantic Canada is split into two stocks, corresponding with the breeding cycles of the fish. While spring herring stocks protected by the moratorium continue to struggle, fall herring can be fished sustainably and are not under a moratorium.

Laurie Maynard, herring biologist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), spoke with SaltWire on April 2 about the status of the herring.

“The biomass is so low that (spring herring stock) has a hard time recovering, and this has been since 2001,” Maynard said.

Since 2001, spring herring stocks have remained at approximately 30,000 tonnes of fishing biomass.

Ripple effect

Herring is an ideal species for bait and is a favourite for crustacean fishers. With spring herring stocks under moratorium, fishers in Atlantic Canada are forced to turn to alternative fish stocks.

These include gaspereau and redfish, two stocks of fish that are like herring, and presently have healthy stocks in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Mark Prevost, one of three co-owners of the alternative bait company Bait Masters, feels strongly about sustainability and shared concerns with SaltWire about the future of other fish stocks taking the brunt of the herring stock closure.

“Fresh fish is well sought after. People like using it, and if it's not available like herring and mackerel with the moratoriums, people shift to other species,” Prevost said on April 25.

Bait Master has developed, produced and tested more than 450 variations of its frozen sausage baits intended to be alternatives for fresh fish and synthetic bait.

Prevost predicted a significant shortage in bait fish when Bait Masters was conceived more than five years ago. This shortage has not occurred, but the pressure placed upon various fish stocks in response to the continued herring moratorium is an ongoing concern for Prevost.

“I can pretty much guarantee it won't take long before there’ll be a moratorium on gaspereau,” Prevost predicted.

Prevost brought these same concerns to the floor of the House of Commons in a 2022 speech.

It is imperative for fishers to help maintain a healthy, profitable, and sustainable population, and be a part of conservation conversations surrounding moratoriums, Prevost said.

“There is, in some cases, a lot of money to be made fast, but it gets to the point where it’s not viable it’s not a good business to go and continue to fish. If there’s no product, just leave it alone,” Prevost said.

Long-term outlook

“Two years is a short time to tell if the fishery closure had an effect because spawning herring becomes available to the fishery after four years, so when they’re four years old,” Maynard said.

Herring feed on various species of tiny marine crustaceans known as zooplankton. Changing ocean temperatures and winter conditions have impacted zooplankton populations in the Atlantic Canada region, which in turn is impacting herring stock.

“They don’t have enough food to survive as much as there used to be, so that makes it hard for them to survive to four years old,” Maynard said.

Herring are a crucial species for the marine food chain, feeding on lower-level food sources and serving as an important food source for larger organisms such as whales, seals, cod and sea birds," Maynard said. "There’s not a lot of species that fill that niche.”

To be able to measure the full impact of the moratorium on the spring herring stock, Maynard estimated the moratorium must be in place for at least six years.

Caitlin Coombes is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter, a position funded by the federal government. She can be reached by email at caitlin.coombes@saltwire.com and followed on X @caitlin_coombes.

Caitlin Coombes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Guardian

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