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Annual herring run creates natural phenomenon along mid-island shores

Mar 11, 2019 | 6:02 PM

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.

She said this year’s fishery began in the Nanoose area, with a good amount of herring found in the Deep Bay area. She said the spawn typically moves towards Nanaimo later in the roughly three-week fishery window, noting about half of this year’s quota was already caught over the last weekend.

Beside its impact on the local economy, the annual fishery creates a perfect environment for nature enthusiasts and photographers. Seine vessels on the water are typically swarmed with birds and sea life looking to snag a snack from the fishermen’s hard work.

“It’s an incredible and natural phenomenon,” Spence said. “It’s an opportunity for people to be able to see it really close by. It happens right on our doorstep so it’s pretty amazing.”

A recent call from conservation groups and Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns to shut down the fishery was recently denied by the federal government.

This year’s quota represents about one-third of the record-setting amount allowed in 2017.

 

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