Johnstone Strait

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: STRAIT OF GEORGIA HERRING IN STEEP DECLINE

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Landforms of British Columbia, Geography of British Columbia, Clupeidae, Central Coast of British Columbia, South Coast of British Columbia, Strait of Georgia, Johnstone Strait, K'omoks, Comox, Herring

The herring population in the Strait of Georgia has endured years of excessive quotas, based on overestimated biomass calculated using a post-industrial fishing baseline.

Key Points: 
  • The herring population in the Strait of Georgia has endured years of excessive quotas, based on overestimated biomass calculated using a post-industrial fishing baseline.
  • According to Victoria Postlethwaite, DFO's Regional Herring Officer, the 2019 quota was set based on a predicted return of 122,291 tonnes, but only 85,700 tonnes returned.
  • Herring once spawned throughout the Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait, but only one area of spawn remains, located between Qualicum Beach and Comox.
  • In their management approach, DFO does not address the severely reduced geographic range and historical abundance of herring in the Strait of Georgia.