Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism
CT VIEWPOINTS -- opinions from around Connecticut

Connecticut should back this herring conservation plan

  • CT Viewpoints
  • by Zach Cockrum
  • September 25, 2018
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

What do striped bass anglers, whale watches and bird enthusiasts have in common? Sure, they all enjoy spending time outdoors, but much of their passion owes to a tiny, unheralded fish: the Atlantic herring.

Regional fisheries managers are about to make a huge decision on Atlantic herring conservation that will reverberate across New England’s ocean and impact many species. You wouldn’t think such small fish could be such a big deal, but herring are a critical species, sustaining a huge range of wildlife, from marine mammals like humpback whales to sportfish like striped bass to birds like osprey. The New England Fisheries Management Council is set to vote on a new plan to manage herring at its meeting on September 25 in Plymouth, Mass., and the National Wildlife Federation supports strong action to conserve this important food source.

Scientific evidence shows the herring population is not at a healthy level, and an abundance of caution is needed to avoid the possibility of complete collapse. Stakeholders from all New England states have spent three years developing a plan that would preserve herring fishing by returning it to the traditional small scale fishery it had been for most of the 20th century.

Fishing technology has come so far, so fast, that fishing boats now have a huge advantage over herring. Instead of small boats making local trips, huge trawlers can now scoop up to a million pounds of herring out of the ocean in a single fishing trip. Despite herring being one of the most common fish on the planet, we now have the power to dramatically alter their populations in a matter of months. Worse yet, these large trawlers often catch predators that chase Atlantic herring, as well as river herring, another species extremely important to Connecticut’s freshwater streams.

Lack of common-sense long-term regulation has led to short-term shocks this summer. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cut 2018’s herring catch limit in half and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission halted herring fishing entirely through September 30. Similarly drastic measures may be needed for next year’s fishing season. Without proper management, we’ll see more of this feast-or-famine trend, and fish and wildlife will suffer.

Thanks to a new proposed management plan from the New England Fisheries Management Council, we have a unique opportunity to protect herring and the whales, dolphins, birds and sportfish that depend on them.

In its new proposed management strategy, the Council can address these issues by adopting two new rules. First, it should ban mid-water trawlers within 50 miles of shore where most predators feed, catching river herring is of higher risk and localized depletion of Atlantic herring can impact ecosystems. Second, it should manage herring as a forage fish, which would mean ensuring a certain amount of the population remains unfished to benefit predators. These would be conservative measures that could minimize the boom-and-bust cycle of the herring population, providing stability for commercial fishermen and wildlife alike.

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s fisheries and natural resource managers have long been strong voices for conservation of the smaller forage fish that larger marine life depend on for food. Last year, a very similar fish – the Atlantic menhaden – faced a management proposal for the entire Atlantic coast that also would have considered the species role in predators’ diets in setting catch limits. While the conservation measure failed, Connecticut’s representatives to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission were among the most principled voices for conservation in the room. We hope they will likewise support the conservation of herring, which play a nearly identical role in ocean ecosystems to menhaden.

The National Wildlife Federation supports these new protections for Atlantic herring. They’ll not only conserve our herring fishery for future generations – they’ll help protect all the wildlife we love that depend on herring for food, including humpback whales, striped bass, terns, puffin, porpoises and dolphins.

Zach Cockrum is director of conservation partnerships at the National Wildlife Federation’s Northeast Regional Center.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Connecticut should work to reduce rates of inmate calling services 
by David Lamendola

Many telecommunications issues are really complicated and only interesting to a handful of policy-oriented folks. But once in a while an issue arises that has easily understandable implications for all of society. High rates for inmate calling services (ICS) is one of these issues. The way it usually works is that an incarcerated person make collect calls from detention facilities, and their family pays the bill. Unfortunately, some providers charge extremely high rates for these calls – a 15 minute phone call to a loved one costs an incarcerated person $5 in Connecticut.

The public health bill no one is talking about, but should be
by Brian Festa

On February 16,  the legislature's Public Health Committee conducted a public hearing on two bills, S.B. 568 and H.B. 6423, both of which would eliminate the religious exemption to mandatory vaccinations for Connecticut schoolchildren.  The hearing was capped at 24 hours, depriving nearly 1,500 members of the public who had registered for the hearing their opportunity to be heard.  The vast majority of those who did testify, and who submitted written testimony, opposed the bill.  The committee is expected to vote on the bill as early as  today. 

Students need more resources, fewer officers
by Tenille Bonilla

"School resource officer" is just a nice way to say cop. But what students really need is more resource and less officer.

The Board of Regents’ changes must not shortchange its students or faculty
by Carrie Andreoletti, PhD

As a university professor and a lifespan developmental psychologist, I tend to approach my work from a developmental perspective. This means I aim to foster a lifelong love of learning and to help others find a sense of meaning and purpose, as well as confidence in their ability to reach their goals. My approach to higher education is shaped by my desire to provide the best possible education for my students. This is why the recent Board of Regents’ proposed changes at the four state universities have me worried.

How to close schooling opportunity gaps created by the pandemic
by Carol Gale

We ask school district leaders to trust your public servants whose daily work life involves assessing student needs and planning or modifying instruction to meet those needs. Listen to their voices, as we have, and allocate precious resources on interventions that will offer increased opportunities for Hartford students to succeed.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion The public health bill no one is talking about, but should be
by Brian Festa

On February 16,  the legislature's Public Health Committee conducted a public hearing on two bills, S.B. 568 and H.B. 6423, both of which would eliminate the religious exemption to mandatory vaccinations for Connecticut schoolchildren.  The hearing was capped at 24 hours, depriving nearly 1,500 members of the public who had registered for the hearing their opportunity to be heard.  The vast majority of those who did testify, and who submitted written testimony, opposed the bill.  The committee is expected to vote on the bill as early as  today. 

Opinion Students need more resources, fewer officers
by Tenille Bonilla

"School resource officer" is just a nice way to say cop. But what students really need is more resource and less officer.

Opinion The Board of Regents’ changes must not shortchange its students or faculty
by Carrie Andreoletti, PhD

As a university professor and a lifespan developmental psychologist, I tend to approach my work from a developmental perspective. This means I aim to foster a lifelong love of learning and to help others find a sense of meaning and purpose, as well as confidence in their ability to reach their goals. My approach to higher education is shaped by my desire to provide the best possible education for my students. This is why the recent Board of Regents’ proposed changes at the four state universities have me worried.

Opinion How to close schooling opportunity gaps created by the pandemic
by Carol Gale

We ask school district leaders to trust your public servants whose daily work life involves assessing student needs and planning or modifying instruction to meet those needs. Listen to their voices, as we have, and allocate precious resources on interventions that will offer increased opportunities for Hartford students to succeed.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO