Federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray announced Wednesday there will be no commercial or bait fishing for herring in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Atlantic mackerel in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) said urgent action had to be taken to give the stocks a chance to recover and to ensure the long-term sustainability and prosperity of East Coast fisheries.
But the decision is not sitting well with the fishing community.
“We are shocked by this radical decision on the part of Minister Murray,” said Martin Mallet, the executive director of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union, which represents more than 1,300 fishermen.
“We are
