An increased herring quota in this year's herring roe fishery has raised red flags among conservationists.
A statement made by Pacific Wild, a conservation group trying to protect species at risk, said the increased quota this year could lead to "an irreversible collapse" of the fishery.
“DFO is knowingly driving Pacific herring toward collapse—just like the Atlantic cod fishery in the ’90s,” says Karen McAllister, executive director of Pacific Wild. “We’ve seen this disaster before and know where it leads. If DFO doesn’t act now, herring will disappear, destroying entire marine ecosystems and coastal economies.”
McAllister's comments refer to a similar situation on Canada's east coast, where a moratorium on spring herring has not improved the fish stocks. The Atlantic moratorium was put in place in March 2022. On March 3, 2025, DFO extended the moratorium until 2026.
Coastal First Nations, communities, environmental organizations and independent scientists have warned DFO that the harvest rates are unsustainable, but Pacific WIld's statement says "Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has ignored expert recommendations and approved what many believe are unsustainable harvest rates—increasing the allowable catch by thousands of tons compared to last year—particularly in the Strait of Georgia (SOG), which holds nearly 40 per cent of B.C.’s remaining spawning stock biomass."
“DFO and Canada continue to violate the Douglas and Indigenous Rights of the W̱SÁNEĆ People by opening the herring fishery in Salish Sea,” says W̱IĆKINEM (Eric Pelkey), Hereditary Chief of Tsawout of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation. “Our people have been denied basic sustenance through denial of access to food fish. Herring has been historically a year round staple in the diets of the W̱SÁNEĆ People. This is no longer available to us because of DFO and Canada's mismanagement of the herring fishery.”
In the 1960s, the herring population collapsed in B.C. waters, leading to a temporary closure at the time. However, the commercial fisheries were re-opened before stocks could recover, the statement from Pacific Wild says.
“In 2022, DFO reduced the total allowable catch (TAC) from 20 per cent to 10 per cent after recognizing its model had permitted years of over-harvesting,” says Sydney Dixon, Marine Specialist with Pacific Wild. “Rather than maintaining a precautionary approach, the TAC has been increased to 14 per cent this year.”
"Commercial gill net boats are now actively harvesting herring as they move into shallow waters to spawn, targeting the herring during the brief window when their roe is at peak quality," the Pacific Wild release says. "The roe fishery, which includes both gill net and seine vessels, is the largest of the herring fisheries and typically opens in early spring, removing fish before they have a chance to spawn."
Conservation groups and Indigenous leaders continue to call for an immediate moratorium on the commercial herring roe fishery to protect B.C.’s last significant herring stocks.
