Start A Healthy Habit

Processing - From The Sea To Your Plate

FISHING METHODS AND THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT

The herring fishery in eastern North America employs mid-water trawlers and purse seiners, referred to as mobile gear, and stationary fixed gear netting known as weirs. Generally, purse seiners and weirs are the favoured fishing methods in Canada, while mid-water trawlers account for a larger proportion of the U.S. catch.

Weirs are a traditional type of fishing equipment that has been used in the Bay of Fundy for hundreds of years. Weirs are strategically placed in coves or along shorelines frequented by schools of herring. They are constructed by driving wooden poles into the seabed in a semi-circular pattern and hanging netting to the poles to corral the herring. Once the herring enter the main holding area of the weir, they become trapped. The fish can be held live in this area until needed. Once needed, the herring are pumped from the weir directly into a boat, chilled and then transported directly to the plant for processing.

The purse seine method of catching herring involves the use of larger vessels that seek out schools of herring using detection equipment such as sonar and echo sounders. Once located, the schools are encircled with a long and deep net, or seine, deployed from the vessel. When the net is fully deployed, or set, the net is pursed up by winching in a cable or rope attached to the bottom of the seine. The herring are then pumped aboard the vessel into fish holds equipped with refrigerated seawater or slush ice in order to maximize quality, and are transported to the canneries. Purse seiners are generally used for fishing in shallower waters and shoals.

Mid-water trawlers locate and store herring in a manner similar to purse seiners, but catch the fish by pulling a funnel-shaped net, or trawl, behind the vessel as it passes over a school of fish. The trawl containing the trapped fish is then pulled beside the boat and fish are pumped on board and immediately chilled. Mid-water trawlers can fish effectively on shoals but are favoured for fishing in deeper waters.

Regardless of which method is used, BRUNSWICK’s rigorous quality standards ensure that only the best fish are selected. All the herring used in our products are de-scaled and maintained in chilled conditions to make certain that they taste as fresh as when they were taken from the sea. It is worthwhile noting that many of our competitors do not bother to de-scale their sardines, which can result in a gritty taste experience.

Licensing
In Canada, the harvesting of fish in the waters off Atlantic Canada is primarily regulated by the DFO through the Fisheries Act (Canada) and the Atlantic Fishery Regulations (1985) made under that Act. These regulations provide for the registration of vessels and fishermen and for the issuance of licenses to catch specified species of fish. The licenses set out conditions for fishing, which may include the species which may be caught, the type and quantity of gear to be used, the waters in which fishing is permitted, the period during which fishing is permitted, the vessel which may be used and the persons permitted to operate the vessel. The DFO also licenses weirs and regulates their location and operation. In the United States, management of the fishery within the U.S. exclusive economic zone from three to 200 miles off shore is the responsibility of regional fishery councils (including the NEFMC) under the U.S. Federal Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. State legislation governs the fishery in inshore waters, and is coordinated by the ASMFC under the U.S. Federal Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act. Fisheries management plans and associated rules and regulations developed by the NMFS and corresponding state agencies prescribe the terms on which parties may participate in a fishery. The TAC established by the NMFS for a designated area is not allocated among individual participants and instead is issued on a total fleet basis. Once the TAC for an area is reached, the herring fishery for that area is suspended.

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