March 30th 2022
DFO suspends spring herring and mackerel fishing
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans prohibits fishing for southern Gulf spring herring and mackerel in the coastal waters of the Atlantic provinces and Quebec.
These two species are classified as “critical zone” according to the latest assessments of the ministry and urgent
action is necessary to regenerate the stocks.
The reason for this is that the stocks of these fish are in a very vulnerable situation. My goal is to grow the fish and seafood industry and for that, we need sustainable stocks
, says Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.
Several factors are contributing to the decline of the species, including environmental changes, predation by other species such as gray seals, poor larval development and survival, and commercial fishing.
