HALIFAX — The Fisheries Department has announced the closure of the Atlantic mackerel and commercial bait fisherieson the East Coast, citing concerns that dwindling stocks have entered a “critical zone.”

The department said in a release today it was taking urgent action to help preserve the stock of southern Gulf spring herring and Atlantic mackerel with the closures in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, allowing them the chance to recover.

Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray says she recognizes many harvesters depend on the fisheries and promised to work with them and others in the industry to preserve the stocks.

The department previously put management measures in place, including halving the total allowable catch for Atlantic mackerel last year, but now it says the measures haven’t worked, and fishing from all sources needs to be kept as low as possible.

Martin Mallet of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union says the news has come as a complete surprise to the industry and will have far-reaching effects on lobster and crab fisheries in the region, which use the smaller fish as bait.

The department says it’s now turning its focus to investing in projects that support alternative forms of bait.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2022.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

The Canadian Press