Herring: Why Kill the Foundation of the Salish Sea?

HERRING: Why Kill the Foundation of the Salish Sea?

Herring: Why Kill the Foundation of the Salish Sea?

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As I watch the wild frenzy of a herring spawn along the shores at French Creek on Vancouver Island, I also witness the return of the herring fleet and the offloading of their catch. All this sets in motion my own thoughts on whether the vital role of herring in the ecology of the Salish Sea, and the marine economy of coastal BC is being undermined by the commercial herring fishery.

Sea gulls on the shore
Stunning concentrations of gulls feed on the herring eggs along the shore
Herds of sea lions
Herds of sea lions feed on the herring as they spawn
Dead herring
Dead herring at the processing plant. Only 10% of the herring by weight are the eggs sold as a delicacy; the rest are ground up to be used as food for fish farms
Herring in a fishing net
Herring hauled up from a gillnet during the commercial fishery
Eagele perched on a boat.
Dozens of eagles come to feed on the spawning herring