RESULTS OF 2025 HERRING SPAWN IN THE STRAIT OF GEORGIA

Once again millions of herring migrated from the westcoast and joined the schools of
residents to spawn in the Strait of Georgia (SOG) which is the northern arm of the
Salish Sea. Most of these herring spawned along the eastern shore of Vancouver Island
between Nanaimo and Comox because they favour the eelgrass beds in the shallow
waters over sandy ocean bottom that team with krill that young herring and adults need
to grow and build strength for their return to their rich feeding grounds off westcoast of
the Island. Herring will make this annual migration up to 10 times.
This year the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) predicted that 91,000 tons of
herring would spawn in March 2025 in the SOG and set the commercial fishery at 14%
or approximately 13,000 tons. This prediction is based on the success of the spawn in 2024.

The problem with modelling is that a lot can and will happen to the herring
schools from March of 2024 until March of 2025 when the commercial seine and gillnet
fleet takes the 13,000 tons. DFO claims that their modelling is “Risk adverse” and
“precautionary” yet it has, over the last 15 years resulted in their been little or no fish
return between Nanaimo and Victoria and 4 other once abundant herring producing
areas on our coast have been closed due to overfishing. Obviously, what DFO calls
science-based modelling, is flawed.

This year as in other years the herring that returned between Nanaimo and Comox
attracted thousands of seals and sea lions, countless seabirds on their annual migration
between their wintering areas and nesting sites as far north as the arctic. This year 22
southern resident killer whales travelled north between Hornby and Denman Islands in
search of chinook salmon that is their primary food source. The chinook salmon are
here because of the herring. One of the whales was a newborn with its mother which
was very special because there are only 73 of these whales left.

There is still no spawning herring in the Southern Gulf Islands. The elected councils of
the 6 First Nations of the Southern Gulf Islands, which together formed the Q’ul-
lhanumutsum Aquatic Resource Society,  have determined that the cause of the
destruction of their herring stocks was over harvest by the Food and Bait, Special Use
and Roe Fisheries. As was stated by Drs. Waters and Yoshinda at the Let the Herring
Live Forum in February herring and other fish oils are essential for the health of First
Nations people.

As in other years DFO hired test boats using modern sonar equipment to find and
estimate the amount of herring in the SOG. This year, the most they could find was
about 40,000 of the predicted 91,000 tons. Then DFO opened the fisheries based on
advice from the fishers. It would seem logical that the fishery would be opened based
on the test boats identifying the predicted 91,000 tons. During the fishery the seiners
caught approximately 2017 tons during the early food and bait fishery, then the gillnets
got their quota of 4800 tons and the seiners, after 6 days of fishing could only catch
2986 of their 4899.3 ton quota in the roe fishery. This is very alarming as the seiners
usually get their quota in a couple of days.

DFO hired dive boats that are now or soon will be out measuring the thickness of the
spawn on the eelgrass and the width, depth and length of this year’s spawn. A report
will come out in July and this will be the basis for the draft Integrated Fisheries
Management Plan for Herring that will come out in November for public review and
comment. The final Plan comes out in January or early February of 2026 that will set
the quota for next year.