Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
(pm@pm.gc.ca)
November 7th, 2011
Honourable Prime Minister:
FISHERIES MINISTER DEEPLY IN ERROR, IN ALLOWING HUGE HERRING FISHERY ON DEPLETED STOCKS
SUMMARY
Your Fisheries Minister, The Honourable Keith Ashfield (Min@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) will move today to open a huge new winter herring fishery for the "resident" (non-migratory) herring populations of the Salish Sea, even though the deep decline of these populations, is well documented, by the DFO itself (see below). He has set a target quota of 6,000 tonnes (the catch last year was 283 tonnes). This is a massive increase, in a region that suffers from complete loss of access to herring by First Nations, and the depletion of other fish, mammal, and bird species, that rely on herring, and that are essential to other economic activities, and that provide very large public benefits. Thus huge quota is thus causing deep public discontent, and rousing interest in numerous court actions.
This massive quota increase has been requested by the industry lobby (see below) and Minister Ashfield has ceded to this pressure with a complete lack of transparency and under a veil of secrecy (see below). With the exception of industry, and the First Nations on the west side of the Salish Sea, few have been made privy to this quota increase. This is the short term management of the fisheries of Canada, for a select few, a corrupt public policy.
The "resident" herring are vital to other wild fishes, such as the severely depleted wild Chinook and coho salmon, rockfish, and ling cod, that the DFO is supposedly trying to rebuild. They are also vital to the endangered Killer Whale (see below), and many species of sea birds, such as Harlequin duck and white-winged scoter (see below).
Therefore, extracting 6,000 tonnes of "resident" herring will not only now prevent the rebuilding of the dozens of First Nations fisheries, but it will further deflate local economies, including the sports fishery, and whale and birdwatching industries, resulting in severe economic losses, to western Canadians.
As the DFO has no stock assessment process for the "resident" stocks, and as all of the Salish Sea herring are officially considered part of one "metastock" by the DFO, a fishery for them is in breach of DFO's "precautionary principle."
It is requested that the Prime Minister should instruct his Fisheries Minister to not only stand down the herring fleet today, but also impose a permanent moratorium on herring fishing in the Salish Sea.
It is also suggested that your Fisheries Minister should come to B.C. to meet with the First Nations, and those involved in the herring-dependent industries, to plan long term rebuilding. He should come to know through them, first hand, the depleted state of these stocks, and their potential.
Finally, the Fisheries Minister should face the reality that, should the fleet now take 6,000 tonnes, a future listing, under COSEWIC, or Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, will be a strong possibility, as yet another species under the management of your government, is pushed to extinction.
LOSS OF FIRST NATIONS ACCESS
Herring are a constitutionally protected food source of First Nations, but today, the First Nations of the Salish Sea are unable to harvest herring and herring roe. Recently, a university/First Nations group called the "Herring School", has documented this loss of access, while at the same time providing much valuable new archeological evidence that observes long periods of Aboriginal past use, by location. This newly acquired knowledge, if the DFO allows it now be fully integrated with modern fisheries science, can provide the basis not only for a comprehensive rebuilding process, but also for a much better understanding, of the diversity, of the ancient herring populations.
You have offered an apology for past wrongs to First Nations, but the recent actions of your Fisheries Minister in regard to this herring fishery, do not indicate a change in government attitude; the DFO did not live up to even the minimal legal obligations of the Crown to "consult" with First Nations, and only the First Nations on the west side of the Salish Sea, were made privy to this fishery. DFO science concludes that since all of the Salish Sea herring are a single "metastock". Therefore, the courts must conclude, that all of the Salish Sea First Nations must be consulted, before any fishery can be held. I hope you can instruct your Minister, that the only way forward is sincere and full inclusion of all of the First Nations in the long term management of the herring resource.
[Re: Roe-herring issue: The quota set for the later March roe herring fishery for the "migratory" stocks (taken in March in the Hornby Island to Qualicum areas) will be set at the same high levels as in recent years, although the roe herring taken in recent years have been decreasing in size, and fishery must now be left open over a longer period, and over a larger area, than at any time in the past.]
THE SCIENCE (OR LACK OF IT)
DFO's research arm, the Pacific Biological Station, has never studied the biology of the "resident" herring, and only one paper tries to assess their abundance; it concluded that they were at very low levels: Schweigert, J. F., and M. Linekin. 1990. (The Georgia and Johnstone straits herring bait fishery in 1986: Results of a questionnaire survey. Canadian Technical Reports of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 1721, 44 pp. attached). The "resident" populations, once used for sporting fishing live bait, remain so depleted that the "bait ponds" are today unable to operate.
THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF THE HERRING-DEPENDENT, SPORTS FISHING, WHALE WATCHING, AND BIRDWATCHING, INDUSTRIES
The "resident" herring populations are of central importance to the diverse Salish Sea ecosystem, and the economies of the sports fishing, whale watching, and birdwatching industries depend upon the rational management of this ecosystem. Each of these are huge economic activities, although they have decreased, as the "resident" herring populations have decreased. The sport fishery has suffered a huge economic decline, one of the major contributing factors being the decline of the local herring populations that once attracted and feed local Chinook and coho salmons, in all areas of the Salish Sea. The southern resident Killer Whale pod is now critically endangered due to high toxin loads, its' small population size, and lack of access to Chinook salmon, which no longer can rear in larger numbers in the Salish Sea due to depressed "resident" herring populations. Thus this is a SARA (Species at Risk) issue. Killer Whales, Chinook, and herring are closely linked and interdependent in the ecosystem, as noted on the DFO web site, which concludes that just as the major food of Chinook is herring, the major food of the resident Killer Whales, is Chinook. The populations of birds such as the Harlequin duck and white-winged scoter, have sunk to lower levels, as the number of herring spawning sites, and the thickness of the herring spawns, have decreased in the Salish Sea. For these and many other seabirds, the nutrition provided by the herring spawns, is essential for later nesting success.
EAST COAST, ALL OVER AGAIN
The reason for the fishery is simply that industry asked for it:
From DFO's draft fishing plan, for 2012:
"As a result of increased interest in this fishery and development of global markets, and as recommended by the Herring Industry Advisory Board (HIAB), the allocation to this fishery will be 6,000 tons (one hundred licenses) for the Strait of Georgia area for the 2011/2012 season."
(283 tons taken last year)
Prime Minister of Canada
(pm@pm.gc.ca)
November 7th, 2011
Honourable Prime Minister:
FISHERIES MINISTER DEEPLY IN ERROR, IN ALLOWING HUGE HERRING FISHERY ON DEPLETED STOCKS
SUMMARY
Your Fisheries Minister, The Honourable Keith Ashfield (Min@dfo-mpo.gc.ca) will move today to open a huge new winter herring fishery for the "resident" (non-migratory) herring populations of the Salish Sea, even though the deep decline of these populations, is well documented, by the DFO itself (see below). He has set a target quota of 6,000 tonnes (the catch last year was 283 tonnes). This is a massive increase, in a region that suffers from complete loss of access to herring by First Nations, and the depletion of other fish, mammal, and bird species, that rely on herring, and that are essential to other economic activities, and that provide very large public benefits. Thus huge quota is thus causing deep public discontent, and rousing interest in numerous court actions.
This massive quota increase has been requested by the industry lobby (see below) and Minister Ashfield has ceded to this pressure with a complete lack of transparency and under a veil of secrecy (see below). With the exception of industry, and the First Nations on the west side of the Salish Sea, few have been made privy to this quota increase. This is the short term management of the fisheries of Canada, for a select few, a corrupt public policy.
The "resident" herring are vital to other wild fishes, such as the severely depleted wild Chinook and coho salmon, rockfish, and ling cod, that the DFO is supposedly trying to rebuild. They are also vital to the endangered Killer Whale (see below), and many species of sea birds, such as Harlequin duck and white-winged scoter (see below).
Therefore, extracting 6,000 tonnes of "resident" herring will not only now prevent the rebuilding of the dozens of First Nations fisheries, but it will further deflate local economies, including the sports fishery, and whale and birdwatching industries, resulting in severe economic losses, to western Canadians.
As the DFO has no stock assessment process for the "resident" stocks, and as all of the Salish Sea herring are officially considered part of one "metastock" by the DFO, a fishery for them is in breach of DFO's "precautionary principle."
It is requested that the Prime Minister should instruct his Fisheries Minister to not only stand down the herring fleet today, but also impose a permanent moratorium on herring fishing in the Salish Sea.
It is also suggested that your Fisheries Minister should come to B.C. to meet with the First Nations, and those involved in the herring-dependent industries, to plan long term rebuilding. He should come to know through them, first hand, the depleted state of these stocks, and their potential.
Finally, the Fisheries Minister should face the reality that, should the fleet now take 6,000 tonnes, a future listing, under COSEWIC, or Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, will be a strong possibility, as yet another species under the management of your government, is pushed to extinction.
LOSS OF FIRST NATIONS ACCESS
Herring are a constitutionally protected food source of First Nations, but today, the First Nations of the Salish Sea are unable to harvest herring and herring roe. Recently, a university/First Nations group called the "Herring School", has documented this loss of access, while at the same time providing much valuable new archeological evidence that observes long periods of Aboriginal past use, by location. This newly acquired knowledge, if the DFO allows it now be fully integrated with modern fisheries science, can provide the basis not only for a comprehensive rebuilding process, but also for a much better understanding, of the diversity, of the ancient herring populations.
You have offered an apology for past wrongs to First Nations, but the recent actions of your Fisheries Minister in regard to this herring fishery, do not indicate a change in government attitude; the DFO did not live up to even the minimal legal obligations of the Crown to "consult" with First Nations, and only the First Nations on the west side of the Salish Sea, were made privy to this fishery. DFO science concludes that since all of the Salish Sea herring are a single "metastock". Therefore, the courts must conclude, that all of the Salish Sea First Nations must be consulted, before any fishery can be held. I hope you can instruct your Minister, that the only way forward is sincere and full inclusion of all of the First Nations in the long term management of the herring resource.
[Re: Roe-herring issue: The quota set for the later March roe herring fishery for the "migratory" stocks (taken in March in the Hornby Island to Qualicum areas) will be set at the same high levels as in recent years, although the roe herring taken in recent years have been decreasing in size, and fishery must now be left open over a longer period, and over a larger area, than at any time in the past.]
THE SCIENCE (OR LACK OF IT)
DFO's research arm, the Pacific Biological Station, has never studied the biology of the "resident" herring, and only one paper tries to assess their abundance; it concluded that they were at very low levels: Schweigert, J. F., and M. Linekin. 1990. (The Georgia and Johnstone straits herring bait fishery in 1986: Results of a questionnaire survey. Canadian Technical Reports of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 1721, 44 pp. attached). The "resident" populations, once used for sporting fishing live bait, remain so depleted that the "bait ponds" are today unable to operate.
THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF THE HERRING-DEPENDENT, SPORTS FISHING, WHALE WATCHING, AND BIRDWATCHING, INDUSTRIES
The "resident" herring populations are of central importance to the diverse Salish Sea ecosystem, and the economies of the sports fishing, whale watching, and birdwatching industries depend upon the rational management of this ecosystem. Each of these are huge economic activities, although they have decreased, as the "resident" herring populations have decreased. The sport fishery has suffered a huge economic decline, one of the major contributing factors being the decline of the local herring populations that once attracted and feed local Chinook and coho salmons, in all areas of the Salish Sea. The southern resident Killer Whale pod is now critically endangered due to high toxin loads, its' small population size, and lack of access to Chinook salmon, which no longer can rear in larger numbers in the Salish Sea due to depressed "resident" herring populations. Thus this is a SARA (Species at Risk) issue. Killer Whales, Chinook, and herring are closely linked and interdependent in the ecosystem, as noted on the DFO web site, which concludes that just as the major food of Chinook is herring, the major food of the resident Killer Whales, is Chinook. The populations of birds such as the Harlequin duck and white-winged scoter, have sunk to lower levels, as the number of herring spawning sites, and the thickness of the herring spawns, have decreased in the Salish Sea. For these and many other seabirds, the nutrition provided by the herring spawns, is essential for later nesting success.
EAST COAST, ALL OVER AGAIN
The reason for the fishery is simply that industry asked for it:
From DFO's draft fishing plan, for 2012:
"As a result of increased interest in this fishery and development of global markets, and as recommended by the Herring Industry Advisory Board (HIAB), the allocation to this fishery will be 6,000 tons (one hundred licenses) for the Strait of Georgia area for the 2011/2012 season."
(283 tons taken last year)
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