Herring Rising Forum

Herring Conservation & Restoration Society (HCRS) and W̱SÁNEĆ Hereditary Chiefs (WHC) support a Pacific Herring Declaration to pause the commercial herring fishery in the Strait of Georgia to allow stocks to recover. At the Herring Rising Forum evidence will be presented on the legal question: Have the commercial fisheries had a significant role to play in the decline of the herring and herring roe fisheries in W̱SÁNEĆ territory? Featured speakers are Hereditary W̱SÁNEĆ Chief Eric Pelkey, leading the legal challenge, John Rich, the lead lawyer with Ratcliff and Drs. Amanda Bates, Loren McClenachan and Sara Ohayon from UVic.

1. The legal letter to DFO has secured a meeting with DFO (date proposed is mid-September) in which the WHC will present the scientific team including key W̱SÁNEĆ knowledge keepers.  The goal is to share the most recent evidence specifically with regard to “finer scale changes in herring spawning patterns and fisheries, herring distribution, and the potential for sub-stock structure in the Strait of Georgia” which DFO indicated they were open to in their letter. The WHC will pursue the recommendation to bring that evidence into the court room to force a pause of the fishery while this evidence is examined.
2. WHC and HCRS now have an MOU in place with Georgia Strait Alliance (GSA) so that anyone who wants to donate to the Herring Rising campaign can now receive a charitable receipt from GSA which will go towards this shared campaign. https://georgiastrait.org/work/indigenous-sovereignty-stewardship/herring-rising/
3. HCRS, WHC and UVic have established various research partnerships and have over $130,000 dedicated to research questions regarding the ecological and social values of herring to the region and the W̱SÁNEĆ communities which will build the case for restoration. Half of this will go to the nations themselves to build their argument.
4. We will also be supporting the challenges to the Individual Transferable Quota Systems (ITQS) which have created the issues of monopolies and control of the industry. Strong Coast have written an excellent article on this that relates to the Canfisco control of the herring industry (80%) and the role of ITQs for getting the fishery into the mess it is.

Our goal is to raise $50,000 that evening preparing for the next legal steps with DFO. The intention is to provide the best case possible at this stage to avoid it going to the huge costs of a court battle. The HCRS are still gratefully receiving donations from our Herring School members for maintaining our community organizing-role which is nimble, inclusive and keeps the larger institutions linked and grounded to the communities that they serve. Monthly or annual amounts are gratefully received to cover our very low admin. costs http://www.savetheherring.org

Thanks to all of our donors who have helped us so far in the collecting of evidence, especially Conservancy Hornby Island, Wild Island Foundation, RAVEN, Pacific Wild and Association of Denman Island Marine Stewards ADIMS.