Dance of the Herring

Dance of the Herring, Herring Spawn, Hornby Island, BC

Dance of the Herring

Updated on:

February 5, 2022

Surprisingly, the most challenging wild animals to witness during the herring spawn are the herring themselves, cloaked as they are in their fog cloud of sperm. So while sea lions, eagles, seals and marine birds abound, I had to hunt the edges of the herring spawn fog to see the herring. But, I found them and was it ever glorious!

Bob putting camera pole into the water — I have my camera on a pole, hoping to get it into the clear water just on the edge of the milky spawn area

Sea gulls feeding — Gulls feeding on herring as they spawn

Herring spawn — Herring school about to enter the spawn area

Herring — Herring during the spawn as the male sperm clouds the water

Man standing in herring spawn — Herring are spawning all around me in the rockweed