Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise and table a petition on behalf of constituents of Courtenay, Hornby Island, Denman Island and Oceanside.
The petitioners call upon the government to suspend the Pacific herring fishery in the Salish Sea for 2020. They highlight that DFO's practices and guidelines around the fishery led to overfishing in 2019. They also say that the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities and Islands Trust's near unanimous call on the government to suspend this fishery would be in light of the government saying that it supports local knowledge and local decision-making. Also, the Qualicum First Nation has asked for this fishery to be suspended and the K'ómoks First Nation has asked for it to be curtailed.
Herring is critical for the food web for salmon, southern resident killer whales and shore birds, and are important to the whole ecosystem on the west coast. They are also noting that DFO has cited that the overall risk the fishery poses to the stock has changed to high. Therefore, the petitioners do not understand why the minister would allow this fishery to be opened next month.