A B.C. conservation group says it is trying to prevent the collapse of the herring populations in the Strait of Georgia through an online petition.
Pacific Wild’s petition says the fish being caught are small and young -- an indication the fishery is collapsing unless something is done to save it.
"We really should be leaving this fish in the water," said Ian McAllister, the executive director of Pacific Wild, in a video posted to their website.
"Four out of the five major herring populations have crashed on the B.C. coast, shutting all of these commercial fisheries down."
The herring fishery normally runs from mid-March to mid-April in the Strait of Georgia and the group is concerned that the fishery will impact chinook salmon stocks that feed on herring.
Chinook salmon are also the main food source for the southern orca population.
