Skip to content

Pillaging the coast

The stocks a fraction of what they were, also the size of the herring themselves

Ah, the early signs of spring. Birds chirping, longer days and dozens of herring boats pillaging our local waters. Why we allow this exploitation of a keystone aquatic species boggles the mind.

To hear the talking heads from DFO reassure us all is well, surely cannot be taken seriously. This organization has a sad history of miscalculating and estimating of stocks in the past. The decision to allow the commercial fishing of herring is more based on politics the sound science.

Ask any long-time fisherman of the area, and they will tell you not only are the stocks a fraction of what they were, also the size of the herring themselves.

The residents of this island see little in the way of economic gain from this short fishery of a public resource. Sport fishing nets the provincial economy more than commercial and salmon farming combined.

Give the stocks a chance to recover so we can all benefit. No food, no fish.

Brian Klobchar

Parksville