and commercial bait fisheries on the East Coast, citing concerns that dwindling stocks have entered a “critical zone.”
The department said in a release today it was taking urgent action to help preserve the stock of southern Gulf spring herring and Atlantic mackerel with the closures in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, allowing them the chance to recover.says she recognizes many harvesters depend on the fisheries and promised to work with them and others in the industry to preserve the stocks.
Martin Mallet of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union says the news has come as a complete surprise to the industry and will have far-reaching effects on lobster and crab fisheries in the region, which use the smaller fish as bait. The department says it’s now turning its focus to investing in projects that support alternative forms of bait.