Fisheries and Oceans Canada is defending its July decision to reduce the herring quota in the Bay of Fundy, after a major New Brunswick employer blamed the decision for major layoffs.
"We recognize the economic impacts this decision will have on the families and communities that rely on income from fishing and processing herring," said Lauren Sankey, DFO spokesperson, in an emailed statement late Friday afternoon.
"But such a decision is necessary to ensure recovery and protect the resource for future generations," Sankey said.
Connors Bros., a herring processing company in Blacks Harbour, near St. George, announced this week it's laying off 20 per cent of its workforce, which is estimated to be about 100 people.
