Annual herring run creates natural phenomenon along mid-island shores
NANAIMO — The spectacle that is the annual roe herring fishery is underway in the mid-island waters of the Strait of Georgia.
The annual fishery opened on March 9, with dozens of seine vessels taking part in a mad dash to catch their share of this year’s 8,300-tonne quota.
Brenda Spence, regional pelagics coordinator with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said anywhere from 50-to-70 large seiners and more than 100 smaller gillnett vessels take part in the event, which is a critical piece of the off-season economy locally.
“The roe herring fishery is really important to the commercial harvesters, as well as shore workers and other offshore industries. It fills in kind of a critical gap when other fisheries are closed,” Spence said.