Proposed Herring Quota Would Put Lobster Fishermen In A Pinch For Bait
BRIDGEWATER–The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is pursuing a commercial quota on herring for areas off Southwest Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy.
DFO is proposing the use of a new stock modeling process that could see quotas slashed to 13,050 tonnes, from 35,000 tonnes, which is a 62 percent reduction.
Commercial herring fishing operators have already voiced their opposition to those plans, including Bay of Fundy Herring Industry, who in a statement proposed the compromise of lowering the quota to 25,000 tonnes instead of 13,050.
DFOs’ move towards a quota is motivated by their desire to get herring stocks out of the critical zone.
The commercial herring fishery opens in Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy in June.
Concerns for lobster fishermen
Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray closed the bait fisheries for both mackerel and herring in March. Prior to that decision, mackerel was the most popular bait for lobster fishermen, followed by herring.
Should the new herring quota come to pass, lobster fishermen will have even fewer options as commercial herring operators reduce the amount of fish they bring in.
“Fishermen will be left with no options other than buying from European or American markets, and that’s if the DFO allows those products in,” said fisheries critic and South Shore St. Margaret’s MP Rick Perkins. “What’s worse is many of the mackeral and herring are part of transboundary stocks, which means the Americans can keep fishing and then potentially sell fish to our fishermen that they could have caught themselves.”
Perkins worries that lobster fishermen are in for a rough season should the quota go through, as increasing bait costs and surging fuel prices will result in record-high prices.
“Lobster fishermen aren’t just going to eat all these extra costs, so ultimately the burden will get passed onto the consumer–and lobster prices were already at a record high this year,” Perkins said.
Perkins says lobster fishermen are currently busy fishing, so few have had the chance to speak with government officials about their concerns.
He also says most of them are using bait they caught or purchased last year that has been frozen, meaning any potential issues caused by the proposed quota won’t be fully known until next year when bait stockpiles start running out.
DFO has said it expects a decision to be finalized in the coming weeks.
Evan Taylor is a reporter with CKBW in Bridgewater, a Huddle content partner.