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Herring meeting in PR

Public invited to discuss OBFM

Jake & Don from DFO

In center is a moderator—here is the presentation and here is the Consultation site

A fishery in Decline?

In the ‘60s was the reduction herring fishery – in the ‘80s the roe fishery --- but it too has peaked and declined both as jobs and $$

Not surprisingly fishers and scientists who remain are content with themselves and see only small changes required to status quo

“If It ain’t broken, don’t fix it”

Complacency?

Status quo position: Present management system works well – yes some areas have had to be closed in past – but that requires only some minor tinkering to remedy

BUT --- there were some dissenting voices – one long time shore worker has seen his job shipped out to Vancouver to process roe –

1st Nations questioned if present system (gillnets) didn’t waste 25% herring that drop from net

Others questioned the science --- the meta-population model was risky of small populations --- scientist disputed if ‘discrete populations’ existed etc

Cutting edge 1980’s Science??

Can DNA find differences?

Here is work from NS where preliminary info suggests at least 4 distinct (microsatellite DNA) herring populations – several of which are side by side

There is published work from Prince William Sound in AK (O’Connell 1998) with 3 side by side populations etc

A corollary of meta population model is a depleted ‘stock’ will be replaced by the meta-population – but in literature documented same “stock” replaced itself once fishing pressure removed and neighboring stocks did not usurp the habitat (Georges Banks)

1^st nations and Back to Future see present herring populations as depressed (75%??) while DFO contends present ‘biomass’ equal to past --- Traditional Ecological Knowledge vs “facts”

Ecosystem Based?? – while the words were used the proposals given were single species management with no consideration of what role herring play as “forage fish” in ecosystem ( for essay contrasting EBM and single species MSY see here

Of course there is no correct answer – some taxonomist don’t even distinguish Atlantic and Pacific herring as separate species

Obviously herring can and do spread quickly and widely – but the debate continues – at finer scales can we detect differences?’

And if so will ‘we’ not be the poorer if allow smaller populations to be destroyed?

Created by LG Wednesday, November 05, 2003