The Fish Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) is calling on the Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to reopen the Atlantic mackerel fishery this year, citing observations by fishermen that the population is higher than the DFO’s assessments suggest.
The DFO shut the fishery down, along with the spring herring fishery, in 2022. Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard Joyce Murray said management measures put in place to safeguard the stock didn’t cut it.
“Southern Gulf spring herring and Atlantic mackerel are stocks that have been in the critical zone for lengthy periods and need to be allowed to regenerate for the continued sustainability and success of the entire fishery,” Murray said in a release at the time. “I recognize many harvesters depend on these fisheries. I will continue working with them and fishing groups from across Atlantic Canada and Quebec to ensure the best outcomes for these stocks and the people who depend on them.”
Members of FFAW-Unifor, however, said that contrary to assessments that stock is in danger, fish harvesters have been witnessing abundance of mackerel – and the union is calling on members of the Atlantic Mackerel Advisory Committee (AMAC) to listen to those reports.
“For upwards of 10 years now, fish harvesters in our province have witnessed distribution and sizes of mackerel that shouldn’t be seen in our waters, if what DFO says is correct,” FFAW-Unifor President Greg Pretty said in a release.
According to Pretty, fishermen report finding plenty of mackerel while out fishing for other species, and during voluntary surveys conducted by the union.