Herring fishermen remain concerned about mid-shore trawlers

By Andy Walker

SOU’WESTER

As the inshore herring gillnet fishery enters its second phase, concerns continue about the possible mid-water seiner fishery this fall.

The inshore quota for fishing area 16G, which includes the northside of P.E.I. and Fishermen’s Bank, was 9,005 tonnes. From that, the allocation for the northside is 800 tonnes, while fishermen on the bank can collectively take up to 500 tonnes. The daily limit in both areas is 4,536 kilograms of 10,000 pounds.

The Monday-to-Friday fishery ran Aug. 3-23. Unused quota can then be fished from Aug. 24 to Dec. 31. As in previous years, and for both of these fishing periods, cross-over fishing was not allowed between the two areas.

It is during the so-called second season that the mid-water trawlers have usually made their appearance. Last year, the provincial government and the Prince Edward Island Fisherman’s Association lobbied DFO to have the 2007 authorization allowing for the mid-water trawlers rescinded to protect the stocks.

Fisheries Minister Allan Campbell said he is also concerned the minimum size is being reduced and Ottawa appears somewhat lax in enforcing needed conservation measures. "By reducing the minimum size for herring, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is clearly using poor judgment, and is further jeopardizing the resource," said Campbell. "I am not prepared to stand by and watch the fishery be devastated by short-term political considerations on the part of the federal government."

Despite the fact the mid-water trawlers had permission to take part in the fishery last year, it didn’t happen. However, that was because the Barry Group, which controlled the largest of the two trawlers slated to come to island waters, decided to stay away. A smaller boat, part of the New Brunswick seiner fleet, also decided in the end to bypass the fishery.

The dispute between island fishers and the New Brunswick fleet captured more than their share of headlines in 2004 and 2005. Taking advantage of a mistake in translation that abolished the 25-fathom exclusion zone that separated the inshore and seiner fishery, the seiners decided to land their catches in the eastern P.E.I. port of Souris.

In both years, they met a hostile reaction from Island fishermen. A court order allowing the seiners to unload their catches had to be reinforced with a squad of RCMP officers in riot gear.