The hereditary chiefs from four First Nations on the Saanich Peninsula demanded Wednesday that the federal government immediately ban the commercial herring fishery in the Salish Sea.
In a historic public gathering in full regalia — the first in 40 years — the W̱SÁNEĆ hereditary chiefs signed a declaration at Tulista Park in Sidney saying the continued fishery threatens to cause the extinction of Pacific herring, a keystone species essential for their way of life and the wider health of the Salish Sea, including salmon, halibut, killer whales and other species they call “relatives.”
With a food and bait herring opening set to begin around Qualicum on Nov. 24, the chiefs said continued openings by the Fisheries and Oceans ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ have decimated herring stocks over the decades and a moratorium is needed to allow herring time to recover.
“This may be the last opportunity to stop the collapse of this species,” said Tsartlip Nation Hereditary Chief Paul Sam Sr. (Telaxten). “We need to give the herring time to recover so that it can be fished sustainably again, as my great-grandfather did.”
The hereditary chiefs — Simon Smith Sr. (Lescim), Tsartlip; Alvin Williams (Telwomet), Pauquachin; Vern Jacks (Xalate), Tseycum; Eric Pelkey (Wickinem), Tsawout; and Vernon Harry (Sxaliye) — also issued a territorial declaration for their homelands, which includes the Southern Gulf Islands and areas around the Saanich Inlet.
It points out the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples’ “absolute rights and title to the lands and water … that can never be broken by the federal or provincial government.”
Pelkey said the territorial declaration is a reminder that hereditary chiefs should play a more significant role in decision making because they are the holders of knowledge “though the generations.”
He said the territorial declaration will be presented to the federal government.
“They need to recognize who the real chiefs are in our territory and recognize our traditional way of governance,” Pelkey said. “This went on for thousands of years and when the government imposed the Indian Act they imposed elections on our communities who didn’t recognize hereditary chiefs anymore.”
First Nations have both elected chiefs and hereditary chiefs, with the latter often holding symbolic roles within their communities but no real voting power when it comes to major decisions.
But Pelkey said hereditary chiefs can and should have influence, especially when it comes to critical issues like declining herring stocks.
“This is the first time we’ve had the hereditary chiefs together in a long time,” said Pelkey. “And now we’re starting to organize and start getting the other hereditary chiefs recognized in our communities because people have been so trained to recognize the Indian Act chiefs they forget about the hereditary chiefs that have knowledge in their families.”
Pelkey said a commercial herring fishery ban has gained support in the Gulf Islands, as far north as Denman and Hornby islands, and across the border in Washington state from the Lummi peoples.
Historically, herring had been abundant in the Salish Sea, but their numbers have been in drastic decline since commercial fishing intensified in the 1930s, according to the W̱SÁNEĆ chiefs.
Though climate change is contributing to their decline, the hereditary chiefs point to “unsustainable fishery practices” as the primary, controllable factor.
Several regions, such as Cowichan, have already lost the herring spawn entirely, with one of the last remaining spawning grounds, near Hornby and Denman Islands, at risk under current proposed fishing quotas.
Although small spawns were recorded in Esquimalt Harbour last spring, there hasn’t been a major spawn on the south Island for decades.
Jim Shortreed of the Victoria-based Herring Conservation and Preservation Society said Pacific herring have taken a terrible beating in the Salish Sea.
He said the most recent significant drops in herring populations have been in the Southern Gulf Islands. “They started heavy harvesting in 2014 and by 2020 there was no more spawning herring left, and there still aren’t any left there.”
Shortreed said DFO noted a significant spawn in the Qualicum area last spring, “so have opened a 7,000-tonne harvest for the food and bait fishery … six years of that kind of harvest destroyed all the herring in Ganges. Will it happen in Qualicum? The data says it will.”
Last year, DFO recorded 90,000 tonnes of herring return and spawn in the Salish Sea and it’s now forecasting the same amount for next spring, said Shortreed, adding that’s down from 129,000 tonnes a decade ago. “The trend is down; every year it’s less.”
Shortreed said allowing herring stocks to be destroyed would have knock-on effects, including in whale-watching and chinook-salmon-fishing tourism. “There’s a lot of value in leaving the herring in the water to sustain bigger fish and bigger tourism opportunities.”
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the hereditary chiefs’ call for a ban.
In its integrated fisheries management plan for this year, DFO said herring has been an important ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ commercial fishery species for more 100 years. Herring products are predominantly sold to Japan and to a lesser extent China and the U.S., though in recent years, some harvesters have faced increased competition and waning international demand.
There are three main herring fisheries in the province, according to the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Seafood Alliance.
The spawn on kelp fishery in February or March is the harvest of only herring eggs attached to blades of kelp after the spawn.
The food and bait fishery occurs in the fall and winter, when herring start to migrate inshore to spend the winter in shallow inlets in preparation for spawning.
Seine gear is used when the concentration of the fish is the highest.
The roe herring fishery is the most significant and happens as herring gather to spawn from late February to the end of March. Opening dates for this fishery using gillnets and seines are announced once the roe has matured to optimum quality.
In recent years commercial fisheries have been limited to Prince Rupert, the central coast and the Strait of Georgia due to lower abundance levels in other areas and precautionary management, the alliance said.
The Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and Vancouver Island is where the biomass of herring populations is highest, and the fishery typically takes place mid-Island, around Qualicum Beach. The majority of herring are landed at French Creek.
