Juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) in southern coastal BC

Observation: Juvenile Pacific Herring schools along the shoreline. - Douglas Swanston, Seacology.

LEO Coordinator Comment: Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) is an essentially important forage fish in marine ecosystems of the northeast Pacific coastal oceans, with many other higher trophic level species feeding on them. This species is unusually abundant in 2017 leading to a Bumper harvest as herring return to Strait of Georgia in great numbers. The normal areas of Herring spawn in BC are described in Maps of spawning areas of British Columbia herring are available. I have requested more specific information from the observer - Tom Okey, Ocean Integrity Research and the University of Victoria, Canada.

Resources:

PacificHerring.org, Hakai

Herring Spawning Areas of British Columbia

Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) fact sheet

Friends of Semiahmoo BaySociety

References:

Hay, D.E., 1985. Reproductive biology of Pacific herring (Clupea harengus pallasi). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 42(S1), pp.s111-s126.

Hay, D.E., P.B. McCarter, R. Kronlund and C. Roy. 1989. Spawning areas of British Columbia herring: a review, geographical analysis and classification. Volumes 1-6. Can. MS Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2019. (2015 Edition: D. E. Hay and P. B. McCarter 2015).

Pynn, L. 2017. Bumper harvest as herring return to Strait of Georgia in great numbers. Vancouver Sun, March 2017.