Judge overturns decision on herring fishery

A federal court judge has overruled fisheries minister Gail Shea by granting an injunction to stop the opening of a commercial herring fishery on the west coast of Vancouver Island, reports The Vancouver Sun.

An internal memo released in court showed that Shea had gone against the advice of scientists and managers at Fisheries and Oceans Canada when she decided in December to reopen the commercial fishery for 2014.

First Nations groups opposed the decision, arguing that the herring population was not healthy enough to support a commercial fishery in the proposed areas. The memo was a major factor in the judge’s decision, said Don Hall, programme manager for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Fisheries.