Herring catches way down this season

Some fishermen on the Bay of Fundy are concerned the herring fishery could be on the verge of collapse.

With the season well underway, weir fishermen say many haven't caught a single herring so far this year.

Peter Holland, with the Herring Weir Fishermen’s Association, says usually, the coast of Bliss Island can bring his weir in an average of 1,200 tonnes of herring in a year.

This year, however, he has yet to catch a single one, and he says many of the weir fishermen in the area are in the same boat.

"Those guys depend on the herring catches to get their unemployment stamps. Nobody's caught one, so they haven't got any unemployment stamps towards it," Holland said.

"Not only that, it's in the lobster fishery they depend on bait. The bait is these herrings we're trying to catch down here. If there's no bait, which there isn't this year for down here, it's supply and demand so you're going to see a doubling of the price of bait for these lobster fishermen."

Holland describes it as the worst season he can remember and he thinks one reason could be water temperature.

Herring are cold water fish, and a hot summer has left waters warmer than usual, which may be keeping them away.

Affecting the community

Holland says he’s worried low catch numbers will affect more than just those who fish.

Blacks Harbour is home to Connors Brothers Limited — one of the largest herring producers in the region and a major employer in the area.

Reid Brown has been weir fishing for 40 years in the area, and says so far this summer he's caught two tonnes.

It looks like the season won't be salvaged, he said.

"Spend less, I guess. Fishermen are gamblers, so you’ve got to keep on gambling. We'll keep at it, and see what happens," Brown said.

Connors Brothers acknowledged the situation.

A spokesperson said there's still another month left and it's too early to speculate how the season will turn out.