Herring fishery closed
In another step destined to be seen as the era of desperate measures, the California Fish and Game Commission closed commercial herring fishing off the California Coast for the first time in history. The closure is expected to begin on July 7th. Both environmental groups and commercial fishermen applauded the closure.
“It’s clear that the population is in extremely grave condition,” said Santi Roberts, California project manager for the environmental group Oceana.
Besides being one of the last harvestable fisheries in the once prolific San Francisco Bay, Herring are a key food source to a wide variety of native Bay/Delta species, including birds, mammals and larger fish such as salmon.
The herring closure is another representation of the current depressed health of the San Francisco Bay/Delta region.
See full article from Saturday’s Sacramento Bee.
