Mr. Chair, herring is a vital source of the ecosystem. It is the bedrock. It is the forage fish for our ecosystem that wild salmon, cod, halibut, shorebirds and mammals rely on. We have seen a decline in herring on the west coast and right now the only open area of the six herring grounds is in the Salish Sea. We have seen the decline of 129,000 tonnes of biomass just in four years to a predicted 58,000 next year. The government said it relies on indigenous and local knowledge, but the first nations have been asking for it to be curtailed or shut down, and so have local communities. Will the minister do the right thing and curtail the herring sector or shut it down until a whole-of-ecosystem management plan is in place?
In the House of Commons on November 24th, 2020. See this statement in context.