Fishermen frustrated after DFO extends gulf herring moratorium by 2 years [Video]

Scientists say there are no signs that the Atlantic herring stock is improving, but some fishermen aren’t convinced. 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada placed a moratorium on herring fishing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2022, saying urgent action had to be taken to give the stocks a chance to recover. 

Three years later, DFO said that recovery hasn’t happened, prompting the agency to keep the fishery closed through 2026. 

“The stock status is currently very much like it was the past few years,” said Jacob Burbank, a research scientist with DFO. “The stock is still in the critical zone, and it has been in the critical zone since the early 2000s.”

The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans placed a moratorium on herring fishing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence back in 2022. At the time, the department said urgent action had to be taken to give the stocks …