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Home / Make a Difference / Take Action / Call for Enhanced Monitoring of Pacific Herring

Call for Enhanced Monitoring of Pacific Herring

Trawl Herring Bycatch

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Phone: 250-380-0547

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⚠️ Government Transparency Alert!

The B.C. government is considering changes to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that could reduce government accountability to the public. These changes, listed in Bill 9, may directly threaten our ability to hold the province accountable on critical issues like the taxpayer-funded wolf cull and decisions around logging ancient forests.

FOI requests are one of our most powerful tools for exposing what the government does behind closed doors. In our investigation into the wolf cull, we`ve already faced delayed responses, missing documents, and files returned with entire sections heavily redacted. Bill 9 could make this worse.

The bill expands the grounds on which government bodies can ignore FOI requests entirely — including if responding would "interfere with operations." It also weakens the duty to respond promptly. Democracy Watch calls it "a step backwards" that increases "the power of government officials to reject and delay" public information requests.

Less transparency means less accountability on issues that matter: the wolf cull, old-growth logging, and on every other decision being made on behalf of all British Columbians.

📣 The bill has passed second reading. Time is running out! Contact your MLA, as well as Minister of Citizen Services Diana Gibson and Premier Eby, and urge them to oppose Bill 9.

Share this post. Demand transparency.

#Bill9 #GovernmentAccountability #SaveBCWildlife

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Open post by pacificwild with ID 18146498161501086

⚠️ Government Transparency Alert!

The B.C. government is considering changes to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that could reduce government accountability to the public. These changes, listed in Bill 9, may directly threaten our ability to hold the province accountable on critical issues like the taxpayer-funded wolf cull and decisions around logging ancient forests.

FOI requests are one of our most powerful tools for exposing what the government does behind closed doors. In our investigation into the wolf cull, we've already faced delayed responses, missing documents, and files returned with entire sections heavily redacted. Bill 9 could make this worse.

The bill expands the grounds on which government bodies can ignore FOI requests entirely — including if responding would "interfere with operations." It also weakens the duty to respond promptly. Democracy Watch calls it "a step backwards" that increases "the power of government officials to reject and delay" public information requests.

Less transparency means less accountability on issues that matter: the wolf cull, old-growth logging, and on every other decision being made on behalf of all British Columbians.

📣 The bill has passed second reading. Time is running out! Contact your MLA, as well as Minister of Citizen Services Diana Gibson and Premier Eby, and urge them to oppose Bill 9.

Share this post. Demand transparency.

#Bill9 #GovernmentAccountability #SaveBCWildlife

172 3

⛴️ Bottom trawling has long been framed as an economic necessity, but what happens when you account for the full cost?

📈 New research by Millage et al. takes a deeper look at Europe’s trawl industry, factoring in carbon emissions, subsidies, and bycatch. The result is hard to ignore: up to €16 billion in societal costs each year, around 90× higher than the industry’s net profit.

While the sector generates revenue, jobs, and food, those benefits are outweighed by:
⚠️ Massive carbon releases from disturbed seabeds
⚠️ Billions in public subsidies
⚠️ Widespread bycatch and waste
⚠️ Ongoing trawling in over half of Europe’s marine protected areas

Here in British Columbia, bottom trawling raises many of the same concerns, from bycatch and habitat damage to impacts on irreplaceable ecosystems like glass sponge reefs. Despite this, the practice still occurs in many Marine Protected Areas.

👉 When we shift from private profit to public cost, the picture changes. What does a truly sustainable fishery look like, and who should bear the real cost?

#InDeepTrouble #CommercialFishing #SustainableFisheries #ResearchFeature #BottomTrawling

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Open post by pacificwild with ID 18112451410872269

⛴️ Bottom trawling has long been framed as an economic necessity, but what happens when you account for the full cost?

📈 New research by Millage et al. takes a deeper look at Europe’s trawl industry, factoring in carbon emissions, subsidies, and bycatch. The result is hard to ignore: up to €16 billion in societal costs each year, around 90× higher than the industry’s net profit.

While the sector generates revenue, jobs, and food, those benefits are outweighed by:
⚠️ Massive carbon releases from disturbed seabeds
⚠️ Billions in public subsidies
⚠️ Widespread bycatch and waste
⚠️ Ongoing trawling in over half of Europe’s marine protected areas

Here in British Columbia, bottom trawling raises many of the same concerns, from bycatch and habitat damage to impacts on irreplaceable ecosystems like glass sponge reefs. Despite this, the practice still occurs in many Marine Protected Areas.

👉 When we shift from private profit to public cost, the picture changes. What does a truly sustainable fishery look like, and who should bear the real cost?

#InDeepTrouble #CommercialFishing #SustainableFisheries #ResearchFeature #BottomTrawling

94 2

💐This Mother`s Day, send a little animal sweetness to the special mother figures in your life with a Pacific Wild E-Card.
💚Minimum donation is just $5, and every dollar supports wildlife and habitat conservation in British Columbia.
📨 Your card will be sent immediately after completing the dedication—no postage, no waste, just pure love. Link in bio 🔗
🥰 Thank you for honouring the moms in your life with a gift that gives back to the wild places and creatures we all cherish.
📷 @iantmcallister
#ECards #MothersDay #MothersDayCard #Wildlife #CuteAnimals #WildlifePhotography

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Open post by pacificwild with ID 17970170769059328

💐This Mother's Day, send a little animal sweetness to the special mother figures in your life with a Pacific Wild E-Card.
💚Minimum donation is just $5, and every dollar supports wildlife and habitat conservation in British Columbia.
📨 Your card will be sent immediately after completing the dedication—no postage, no waste, just pure love. Link in bio 🔗
🥰 Thank you for honouring the moms in your life with a gift that gives back to the wild places and creatures we all cherish.
📷 @iantmcallister
#ECards #MothersDay #MothersDayCard #Wildlife #CuteAnimals #WildlifePhotography

235 2

🌊 “After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.” — Sir David Attenborough

Today, on David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, we’re celebrating a lifetime of inspiring wonder, curiosity, and action for our planet.

🎬 Join us for a special screening of the film "Ocean with David Attenborough" as part of @oceanweekvictoria. This powerful and award-winning documentary explores the beauty, fragility, and resilience of our ocean, and reminds us that protecting it is still possible.

Following the film, stay for a panel discussion and audience Q&A with speakers from @georgiastraitbc, Pacific Wild, and more as we dive into the impacts of bottom trawling and the future of marine protection in British Columbia.

📍 The Vic Theatre
🗓️ Thursday, June 4
⏰ 6:00–9:15 PM
🎟️ Free event | 19+ | Registration required | Link in bio
🌊 Capacity is limited, reserve your spot early!

Special thanks to @ReviveOurOcean, co-producer of the film, for facilitating access as well as @silverback_films @natgeo and @openplanetorg

#OceanFilm #OceanWithDavidAttenborough #ReviveOurOcean #OceanWeekVictoria #OceanWeekCanada

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Open post by pacificwild with ID 17855945706647416

🌊 “After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.” — Sir David Attenborough

Today, on David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, we’re celebrating a lifetime of inspiring wonder, curiosity, and action for our planet.

🎬 Join us for a special screening of the film "Ocean with David Attenborough" as part of @oceanweekvictoria. This powerful and award-winning documentary explores the beauty, fragility, and resilience of our ocean, and reminds us that protecting it is still possible.

Following the film, stay for a panel discussion and audience Q&A with speakers from @georgiastraitbc, Pacific Wild, and more as we dive into the impacts of bottom trawling and the future of marine protection in British Columbia.

📍 The Vic Theatre
🗓️ Thursday, June 4
⏰ 6:00–9:15 PM
🎟️ Free event | 19+ | Registration required | Link in bio
🌊 Capacity is limited, reserve your spot early!

Special thanks to @ReviveOurOcean, co-producer of the film, for facilitating access as well as @silverback_films @natgeo and @openplanetorg

#OceanFilm #OceanWithDavidAttenborough #ReviveOurOcean #OceanWeekVictoria #OceanWeekCanada

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❓Guess how old these fish are! Some of the most familiar fish along B..C’s coast can live for decades, longer than many people expect.

🐟The oldest rockfish recorded in B.C. is the Rougheye rockfish, which has been known to live up to 147 years old. To really appreciate that, a rockfish that age today would have been born in the late 1800s, and could have quietly lived through an astonishing stretch of human history including the rise of steamships, then diesel-powered ships along the coast.

🧡Copper rockfish are beautifully mottled in orange, copper, and brown tones and are commonly found around rocky reefs and kelp forests. These fish are incredibly long-lived, with individuals reaching over 90 years old in some cases. That means a copper rockfish born before World War II could still be swimming today!

🖤Black rockfish are schooling fish often seen in large groups near offshore reefs and pinnacles. They’re typically dark grey to black in colour and are also long-lived, commonly reaching 50–60 years of age, with some living even longer under the right conditions.

⏰ Rockfish are slow-growing and slow to reproduce, which makes them especially vulnerable to overfishing. In B.C., rockfish are among the species that can be both incidentally caught as well as targeted by commercial trawl fisheries. Because they live so long and mature later in life, their populations can take many years to recover if impacted. These remarkable fish are a reminder of how ancient and delicate our coastal ecosystems are, and why responsible fishing and marine protection are so important.

👇Comment below if you can identify the rockfish in this video!

🎥 @iantmcallister

#DraggedToDeath #InDeepTrouble #SustainableFisheries #RockFish MarineProtection

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Open post by pacificwild with ID 18129775675605799

❓Guess how old these fish are! Some of the most familiar fish along B..C’s coast can live for decades, longer than many people expect.

🐟The oldest rockfish recorded in B.C. is the Rougheye rockfish, which has been known to live up to 147 years old. To really appreciate that, a rockfish that age today would have been born in the late 1800s, and could have quietly lived through an astonishing stretch of human history including the rise of steamships, then diesel-powered ships along the coast.

🧡Copper rockfish are beautifully mottled in orange, copper, and brown tones and are commonly found around rocky reefs and kelp forests. These fish are incredibly long-lived, with individuals reaching over 90 years old in some cases. That means a copper rockfish born before World War II could still be swimming today!

🖤Black rockfish are schooling fish often seen in large groups near offshore reefs and pinnacles. They’re typically dark grey to black in colour and are also long-lived, commonly reaching 50–60 years of age, with some living even longer under the right conditions.

⏰ Rockfish are slow-growing and slow to reproduce, which makes them especially vulnerable to overfishing. In B.C., rockfish are among the species that can be both incidentally caught as well as targeted by commercial trawl fisheries. Because they live so long and mature later in life, their populations can take many years to recover if impacted. These remarkable fish are a reminder of how ancient and delicate our coastal ecosystems are, and why responsible fishing and marine protection are so important.

👇Comment below if you can identify the rockfish in this video!

🎥 @iantmcallister

#DraggedToDeath #InDeepTrouble #SustainableFisheries #RockFish MarineProtection

148 1

⛴️ Three seasons of enhanced monitoring in B.C.’s groundfish trawl fishery are giving us a clearer picture of what’s really happening beneath the surface. Salmon bycatch has dropped by roughly 73% over the past three fishing seasons, and the new Chinook bycatch cap is an important step toward stronger accountability and precautionary fisheries management.

📉But the data also show that reduced bycatch is closely tied to reduced fishing effort, especially in midwater trawl fisheries, where most salmon bycatch occurs. This tells us something important: conservation gains depend not just on caps, but on reducing pressure where the risk is highest. If we want lasting protection for salmon, bycatch reduction must be built into how the fishery operates, not left to changing effort levels alone.

🐟 More broadly, many jurisdictions around the world are moving toward banning trawling altogether. Ultimately, that is the direction Pacific Wild supports, given that indiscriminate fishing methods are inherently problematic. In the interim, however, there are still important steps that can be taken to reduce harm. Pacific herring, a foundation species in B.C.’s marine ecosystems, likely remain underrepresented in bycatch reporting. Enhanced monitoring for herring is the next critical step toward protecting biodiversity and managing fisheries within ecological limits. Because protecting ocean ecosystems starts with measuring what we remove, and taking responsibility for it.

🔗 Read the full blog — link in bio
📣 Urge Fisheries and Oceans Canada to implement stronger monitoring for Pacific herring — add your voice today

#DraggedToDeath #InDeepTrouble #CommercialFishing #SustainableFisheries #PacificSalmon #ChinookSalmon #PacificHerring

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Open post by pacificwild with ID 18088185113033787

⛴️ Three seasons of enhanced monitoring in B.C.’s groundfish trawl fishery are giving us a clearer picture of what’s really happening beneath the surface. Salmon bycatch has dropped by roughly 73% over the past three fishing seasons, and the new Chinook bycatch cap is an important step toward stronger accountability and precautionary fisheries management.

📉But the data also show that reduced bycatch is closely tied to reduced fishing effort, especially in midwater trawl fisheries, where most salmon bycatch occurs. This tells us something important: conservation gains depend not just on caps, but on reducing pressure where the risk is highest. If we want lasting protection for salmon, bycatch reduction must be built into how the fishery operates, not left to changing effort levels alone.

🐟 More broadly, many jurisdictions around the world are moving toward banning trawling altogether. Ultimately, that is the direction Pacific Wild supports, given that indiscriminate fishing methods are inherently problematic. In the interim, however, there are still important steps that can be taken to reduce harm. Pacific herring, a foundation species in B.C.’s marine ecosystems, likely remain underrepresented in bycatch reporting. Enhanced monitoring for herring is the next critical step toward protecting biodiversity and managing fisheries within ecological limits. Because protecting ocean ecosystems starts with measuring what we remove, and taking responsibility for it.

🔗 Read the full blog — link in bio
📣 Urge Fisheries and Oceans Canada to implement stronger monitoring for Pacific herring — add your voice today

#DraggedToDeath #InDeepTrouble #CommercialFishing #SustainableFisheries #PacificSalmon #ChinookSalmon #PacificHerring

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Donate Now
▾
- Other Ways to Give
Campaigns
▾
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▾
Make a Difference
▾
About
▾
IMAX
▾
- A Great Big Film
- IMAX Educator Guide
Shop
▾
- Shop for Books & Apparel
- Shop for Prints
Call 1-250-380-0547