Island fishermen and government regulators are expressing concern over an apparently sharp decline in the herring population.

"The spring herring fishery has basically collapsed," said Ed Frenette, director of the P.E.I. Fishermen's Association.

He said yesterday there are two main herring areas - 16C and E - in the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

As of Tuesday, the federal Fisheries Department had shut down Area C because there are simply no fish. Landings in Area E have also plummeted.

Spring herring landings by P.E.I. fishermen as of Tuesday totalled 118 tonnes.

"Thats terrible," said Frenette. "In 2000, in roughly the same time span, we had 4,700 tonnes. It's been dropping every year since then and that correlates with the arrival of the large New Brunswick seiners in the inshore gulf over those same years."

Before that time period, the seiners were further out and not fishing the inshore spawning grounds.

Frenette said it is hard to say for sure at this point.

"We had this odd winter and early spring, and we don't know if the fish have been fished out by the seiners, or if they have moved north because of colder water."

Recognizing the drop in stocks, DFO has decreased its quotas across the board. The total allowable catch has been dropped to 9,000 tonnes from 11,000 in 2005.

In a press release Wednesday, federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn confirmed the plunge, saying indicators show that the spring herring stock biomass is much lower than its peak in 1995, and is currently well below average.