FMS-FFS / DFO - Library / MPO - Bibliothèque RH 02025642 Roe Herring and Herring Spawn-On-Kelp

erring are a small, relatively short-lived finfish, with a maximum age of 15 years. The herring population is highly dynamic, with a tendency to Hfluctuate rapidly. Along the different stages of life, herring have several predators: at the egg stage - gulls and diving ducks; at the larvae stage - pilchards, ctenophores and jelly fish; and at the adult stage - gulls, diving ducks, fishes and marine mammals.

Herring reach maturity and are recruited into the fishery between the ages of two and five. Within this range, recruitment tends to occur at younger ages in southern waters and older ages in northern waters.

There are five major herring stocks in British Columbia, namely Prince Rupert, Central Coast, Queen Charlotte Islands, West Coast Vancouver Island and Strait of Georgia.

There are three major commercial fisheries for herring in B.C.: spawn-on-kelp, roe herring, and food and bait. In the past, herring was processed into low-value products such as fish oil or fishmeal. In the mid-1970s and early 1980s, interest in roe herring exports to Asia increased the value and demand for herring products.

Currently, there are 46 spawn-on-kelp and 1,497 (seine and gillnet) roe herring licences. In addition to the commercial fishery, herring is also harvested by First Nations for food, social and ceremonial purposes, and by other harvesters for food and bait. Recreational harvesting limits for herring are in effect, with a daily limit of 20 kilograms and a possession limit of 40 kilograms. There is no recreational fishery for spawn-on-kelp and no directed recreational fishery for roe herring.

Herring are strongly affected by annual variations in environmental conditions, which produce large fluctuations in recruitment and subsequent stock abundance. In the 1960s, herring abundance declined to a critical level, likely due to high harvest rates and poor environmental conditions. In 1967 the commercial herring fishery was closed to allow stocks to rebuild. By the mid-1970s, the herring stocks had recovered and the commercial fishery re-opened. Conservation is key for all Pacific fisheries, including herring, in order to ensure a sustainable and economically viable fishery.

USRARY FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA 401 8URRARD ST. OUVER, B.C. V6C 3S4 66-3851 SPAWN-ON-KELP

In this fishery, lines of kelp are suspended in open or closed ponds where herring naturally congregate to spawn. Herring eggs become attached to the kelp during the spawning process. The spawn-covered kelp is then harvested, trimmed, brined and packaged for transportation to Asian markets.

This fishery generally takes place from March to June each year. Approximately 80 per cent of harvesters who participate in this fishery are First Nations. The management of this fishery involves extensive consultation with First Nations.

Spawn-on-kelp is a relatively high priced product sold primarily in Japan for sushi restaurants. The price paid to B.C. producers has declined from a high of $45 per pound in the mid-1990s to less than $10 per pound in 1999. At current prices, a licensed quota is valued at approximately $150,000. In 1998, 324 tonnes of spawn-on- kelp were landed, worth an approximate value of $13 million, and in 1999, 336 tonnes valued at approximately $10 million was landed.

ROE HERRING

Roe herring is the largest of all the herring fisheries, with harvest generally beginning in late February or early March in the south coast and in mid-March in the north coast, and extending for about a month. Herring are utilitzed primarily for their eggs. The roe are stripped from the fish, salted, and then shipped to Asian markets.

Between 1989 to 1998, commercial fishermen landed an average of more than 36,000 tonnes of roe herring annually, worth about $60 million. In 1998, the wholesale value of the roe herring fishery was $130 million, with the majority of product destined for Japan. And in 1999, the total coastwide catch rate for roe herring was 26,525 tonnes, with revenues grossing approximately $100 million. As these numbers show, the roe herring fishery provides substantial income to the industry.

In 1998, pool fishery management was introduced to the roe herring fishery as a management tool for controlling harvest, especially in the seine fishery. Pooling is a term used to describe a voluntary grouping of licences, a concept that controls the rate of catch by limiting the number of vessels that enter the water. This technique has been demonstrated to effectively reduce catch overages in the seine fishery. In the past two years, seine overages have averaged five per cent, compared to an average of 20 per cent in the open competitive fishery. The new strategy has provided the added benefit of increasing profitability in the roe industry by limiting overhead costs ( fishing gear, licence lease costs, packing costs) and by improving quality. n r u* * » J\ v

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Information: http:/ / www -comm / pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca Fisheries and Oceans Pêches et Océans *i Canada Canada