A Little Bit About Us

The Herring Conservation and Restoration Society (HCRS) is a newly established non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and revitalizing local herring populations in British Columbia. Our mission is to restore these crucial fish stocks to their former abundance, benefiting coastal communities as they did historically.

What We’ve Done

We launched the HCRS with funding from early supporters, who each contributed $50 and joined our “Hooked for Life” membership. With $4,250 raised towards our $5,000 start-up goal, we’ve been able to get to work on our first initiatives including:

• Delivered a presentation on herring to the Saanich and Gulf Islands BC Greens, with an audience of over 100 attendees.
  
• Hosted the 2nd Victoria Herring Symposium, which brought together 60 individuals for a day of insightful discussions. Yogi Carolsfeld shared genetic testing data on the unique Gorge herring population, while Izzy from Eaglewing Tours presented findings from the herring ball study. Mark Malleson provided a comprehensive update on the Southern Resident Killer Whales and their reliance on herring-fed Chinook. The event was a success, raising over $1,200 through ticket sales for the society.
  

• Released the first edition of The Herring Journal
  
• Launched our website, savetheherring.org
  

Coming this fall, watch out for our speaking tour! Get in touch if you want us to come to your community. 

What We Plan to Do

Our primary focus revolves around herring in the Salish Sea, but we know valuable lessons can be learned from other regions. We are eager to engage with diverse perspectives throughout the year as HCRS actively participates in advocacy efforts aligned with key events.

We await the Department of Fisheries and Ocean’s (DFO) release of herring spawn dive survey results in July, which we will integrate with citizen science data to get a picture of the state of herring in the Strait of Georgia. This fall, we will launch a lecture series around the communities in the Salish Sea, presenting the information, raising awareness about herring and planning how to organize as a unified voice.  

Community herring groups are hoping to get representation on the Integrated Herring Harvest Planning Committee (IHHPC) so we can hear directly from industry and DFO about their plans. If successful, we will be the only seat at the table that is non-industry and community-based. 

Come December, we will encourage our members to get involved during the public consultation period for DFO’s management plan. By February or early March 2025, DFO will have announced their fishing plans which we will closely review and monitor. As March 2025 ushers in the herring spawning season in the Salish Sea, we will build on and leverage our network of citizen groups, nature trusts, and herring enthusiasts to amplify community voices regarding herring conservation.

We are committed to maintaining our grassroots ethos and will never accept funding from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans or industry stakeholders.

[The Salish Sea refers to the combined Strait of Georgia, Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound bodies of water and all the small ones in between. DFO created the Strait of Georgia major stock assessment region that is part of the Salish Sea. The herring don’t recognize borders. ]