At first blush, I thought the idea of harvesting seaweed along the shore line from Deep Bay to Nanaimo was a good one. I am in favour of free enterprise and we all know that job creation is in short supply in this area.
As a local fisherman, I have been happy to see the salmon stocks returning to the inside in greater numbers these past few years.
Then I thought about the annual herring spawn that miraculously occurs every spring along this eastern coast of Vancouver Island. The waters turn a bright turquoise and local wildlife bustles with activity. The female herring cast their roe onto the seaweed only to be fertilized a short time later by the male herring.
As most are already aware, the herring have a hard go of it, being the main staple of many sea going creatures including salmon, Orca, seals and sea lions to name just a very few.
The birds also rely on them at this time of year. Not to mention the years of over fishing (the herring fishery collapsed in 1993) that have decimated their stocks in local waters.
In fact, the herring that were harvested were so small last year, the fishery was a bust because the over-seas markets were not interested in them.
Local Pacific herring play a vital role in the food chain and I believe that because there has been better management of this fishery, salmon and other species like halibut are returning to our waters.
I have not done any research on this topic and I sincerely hope my fears are groundless.
That said, I would very much like to think that the folks who are looking at seaweed as a natural, renewable resource to harvest, have given some thought to herring reproduction.
Andy Lankester
Nanoose Bay
