Saanich Peninsula hereditary chiefs are denouncing a federal decision to expand herring fishing in B.C. waters, warning it threatens already declining stocks and the broader marine ecosystem.
Despite a November 2024 declaration from six WSANEC chiefs calling for an immediate moratorium, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) approved an increase in the harvest rate from 10 per cent last year to 14 per cent in 2025.
“We are deeply frustrated,” said Tsawout Hereditary Chief Eric Pelkey (WICKINEM). “How can DFO justify increasing herring harvests while stocks are in steep decline in our territories?”
Herring are a keystone species, crucial to chinook salmon, orcas, and other marine life. Pelkey added that the Strait of Georgia is now the last of B.C.’s five major spawning areas still open to a herring fishery after the other four were closed due to stock collapses.
The WSANEC chiefs have joined First Nations, environmental organizations, and marine-dependent businesses in opposing the move. Critics say DFO’s management contradicts its own precautionary principles.
“The health of herring stocks is not just a First Nations issue,” said Pelkey. “They are the lifeblood of the marine ecosystem, and their survival benefits us all.”
