Notices to Fish Harvesters
Closure of the Spring Herring Fishery for Herring Fishing Areas 16 and 17
MONCTON, NB – March 30, 2022 – The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Joyce Murray, has announced there would be no directed commercial or bait fishing for spring herring in Herring Fishing Areas 16 and 17.
The spring component of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) herring stock has been in the critical zone of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Precautionary Approach (PA) Framework since 2002. Under the PA Framework, when a commercially-fished stock is in the critical zone, removals from all sources must be kept to the lowest possible levels.
Herring is an important forage species in the sGSL that plays a vital role in the ecosystem and the fishing industry. The Department is taking action to give this stock a chance to recover and ensure the long-term sustainability and prosperity of East Coast fisheries.
The closure will be revisited following the next stock assessment.
Associated link:
Rebuilding key forage fish stocks for healthier East Coast fisheries
Mireille Chiasson
Director, Fisheries Resource Management
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Gulf Region