PARKSVILLE — Residents may see the occasional herring boat but that doesn’t mean the annual herring rush is on — or even close.
That’s because, said Fisheries and Oceans biologist Greg Thomas, prior to the annual roe harvest there is a very limited bait harvest of herring.
“Most of the fishing right now is for bait,” he said. “So far, 400 tons has been taken, most of it south of Dodd Narrows.”
Much of the bait fishery, he said, is frozen while some is processed. There are also smaller fisheries, such as the one used to feed some of the aquatic residents at the Vancouver Aquarium.
— Neil Horner