By Rochelle Baker Local Journalism Initiative Concerned by the disappearance of herring in their territories, hereditary chiefs are calling for closure of the West Coast’s last commercial herring fishery. Four WSÁNEĆ Chiefs representing three nations gathered in Sidney recently to sign the Pacific Herring Declaration, which calls for an immediate moratorium on the upcoming Strait of Georgia commercial fishery. The winter season’s commercial food and bait fishery, set to open Nov. 24, threatens the survival of the small, silver forage fish which have suffered dramatic declines across the entire B.C. coast, said the leaders from the Tsartlip, Tseycum and Tsawout nations. Herring were once abundant in their traditional territory that includes the southern Gulf Islands, parts of southern Vancouver Island and the Saanich Peninsula, said Tsawout Hereditary Chief W̱IĆKINEM (Eric…
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