Herring Plan 'Fair and Equitable' -- Thibault

News Release

OTTAWA - The Honourable Robert G. Thibault, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, met his provincial counterpart from Prince Edward Island, the Honourable Kevin MacAdam, for the first time yesterday. Among other issues, the Ministers discussed the current situation facing the herring fishery.Minister Thibault reiterated that he has no intention of changing the management plan for this year, especially in light of the illegal activities at the Souris Wharf. "I have worked closely with Minister Wayne Easter and the other Island MPs to ensure that the concerns of the inshore fishermen have been taken into account," said Minister Thibault. "I am satisfied that the plan that I announced last month is fair and equitable." The Minister urged inshore fishers from Prince Edward Island and the midshore seine fleet to resume negotiations at the end of this season. Minister Thibault agreed to examine the rationale guiding the boundary that was determined in 1983. The boundary line was a management measure intended to address gear conflicts at the time. Such gear conflicts no longer exist, and the rationale for the boundary set in 1983 is not relevant to circumstances in 2003."My priorities remain conservation and sustainability of the resource," Minister Thibault said following the meeting. "There is no scientific evidence that the herring seine fishery is a threat to conservation of local herring or other fish stocks."Today, dockside monitoring, observer coverage and vessel monitoring systems are effective modern management tools used by seiners. These measures address conservation concerns. Minister Thibault met on Tuesday with New Brunswick Fisheries Minister David Alward to discuss the herring fishery. Inshore fishers from PEI catch their share of the 77 per cent of the total herring quota assigned to fixed gear fleets before the seiners arrive in the area to harvest their 23 per cent share of the allocation.

Search for related information by keyword

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Nature and Environment

Page details

2016-12-15

We have archived this page and will not be updating it.

We have archived this page and will not be updating it.

Herring Plan 'Fair and Equitable' -- Thibault

News Release

Page details