WSÁNEĆ hereditary chiefs are calling for an immediate moratorium on all commercial herring fisheries in the Salish Sea prior to the season’s expected start later this month.
Surrounded by relatives and members of the community at Tulista Park in “Sidney,” overlooking the ocean, four hereditary chiefs read aloud a joint declaration Wednesday morning — coming together for a public, unified call to action for the first time in 40 years, the leaders said.
W̱IĆKINEM (Eric Pelkey) from Tsawout Nation was flanked by TELAXTEN (Paul Sam Sr.) of Tsartlip Nation, XÁLÁȾE (Vern Jacks) of Tseycum Nation and LESĆIM (Simon Smith Sr.) of Tsartlip Nation.
“This declaration is put forth to stop the erosion of our culture, our land, and our rights,” W̱IĆKINEM told the event.
The declaration — signed by six WSÁNEĆ hereditary chiefs — aims to stop the commercial Pacific herring fishery before its expected opening on Nov. 24.
“With an exceptionally high quota assigned to the food and bait fishery this year — despite all the concerns we have raised over the years — has led us to call again for a moratorium on all commercial herring fisheries,” the declaration reads, in part.
“This will provide our overwintering and migrating herring with a refuge from the commercial fishing pressure that is present almost year-round in the Strait of Georgia.”
The declarations assert WSÁNEĆ territorial title and call for a moratorium on all commercial herring fisheries — as the chiefs are concerned that the species is in danger of collapse.
It states that “Pacific herring play a critical role in the health of our people and our relatives” including Chinook salmon and southern resident orcas.
“This may be the last opportunity to stop the collapse of this species,” said TELAXTEN in a press release. “We need to give the herring time to recover so that it can be fished sustainably again, as my great-grandfather did.”
The chiefs’ declaration states that resident Pacific herring beds in WSÁNEĆ territory are threatened by commercial fishing, which is regulated by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).
The WSÁNEĆ people are not alone in their concerns, with residents and organizations on the Gulf Islands also demanding a herring fishery closure.
When asked if they would take matters into their own hands and protest the fishery W̱IĆKINEM responded: “If we can get the support to go out there, we will.”
Boom-or-bust cycle
Pacific herring represent a keystone species in the ecology of the ocean.
On top of playing a critical food source for salmon, marine birds and orca whales, herring are also an important traditional food source for coastal communities.
However, the species’ commercially harvested eggs have become such a valuable product that experts say commercial fishing fleets have decimated the herring population in many areas, resulting in repeated calls for a moratorium for years.
The vast majority of herring eggs are exported to Japan, China, and the USA for consumption, according to the DFO — with Japan being the largest importer, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the province’s herring export value from 2019-2023, on average.
Determining historical herring levels is difficult, because many of the DFO’s calculations are based on data from the mid-20th century — long after industrial fishing had already drastically altered the once-abundant fish.
“Industry doesn’t understand what our people know: you must only take what you need,” said SXÁLIYE (Vernon Harry), a Tsawout hereditary chief who signed the declaration, in a statement. “The DFO’s numbers are unsustainable. We demand they stop allowing herring fishing in the Salish Sea before it’s too late.”
In a statement to IndigiNews, the DFO said no decisions have yet been made on the total allowable catch for any herring fisheries — including for food, bait and special use — for the 2024-2025 season.
However a draft document from the DFO — the Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for Pacific Herring for the 2024-25 season — indicates that the Strait of Georgia would open to commercial herring fishing at harvest rates of up to 14 per cent.
The Strait, along with several other zones, have seen a small increase in herring populations recently, for the first time in years. But the number of spawning sites are still low.
The DFO told IndigiNews it makes management decisions about the size and extent of permitted herring fisheries every year — based on available science and the knowledge and input of First Nations, commercial harvesters and others through what it called “extensive consultation and engagement efforts.”
According to fisheries biologist David Clough, the DFO’s management strategy — which he says doesn’t prioritize ecosystem health — is causing boom-bust cycles in herring populations.
“We’ve been so long now without any conservation on herring,” he said, “that we honestly don’t know how bountiful it could be.”
Clough noted the way harvest rates are calculated don’t account for other species, but focus on potential replacement rates for the population.
“The sad part about that number — they never consider what the marine birds would need, what the seals, sea lions, or orcas would need as well, and they never do,” he said.
Clough added that involving First Nations is integral to effectively challenge DFO herring policies.
“DFO is in denial of wanting to know any linkages of herring to other species,” he said, “because by that token, they would then have to actually allocate for the environment, and they don’t.”
‘They left a legacy for us, and we have to carry it on’
The Tsawout, Tsartlip, Tseycum, and Pauquachin Nations are all signatories to the Douglas Treaties — which guarantee rights over fishing in their territories.
As a result, explained XÁLÁȾE, all levels of government have an obligation to the First Nations “to sit down and consult with us on all issues.”
XÁLÁȾE reminded those present that WSÁNEĆ people have been here for thousands of years, with their ancestors’ graves found all over the peninsula.
“They left a legacy for us,” he declared. “And we have to carry it on.”
