You Can Tell It's Spring When the Herring Spawn

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You Can Tell It's Spring When the Herring Spawn

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sourced by Barbara McPherson

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You Can Tell It's Spring When the Herring Spawn

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uploaded by Barbara McPherson

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Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, Canada

Early spring on Vancouver Island brings the annual phenomenon of the herring spawn.  The herring spawn in such numbers in the shallow, protected waters of Georgia Strait that their numbers seem endless.  Of course, this is not true and we nearly lost the fishery due to overfishing.  With good management, the numbers seem to have rebounded to healthy levels.

This is good news on many fronts.  The commercial fishery is robust but perhaps more importantly, the herring serve to feed thousands of coastal animals.  The video that is attached mentions some of the animals at the feast, but I said "sea otters" when I should have said "river otters" as the sea otters do not live here.  Millions of eggs wash up on the beaches to feed those creatures that don't venture into the water like our great blue herons which have a colony at a nearby lake.

Jellyfish also seem to be reproducing.  I couldn't resist adding the picture of the jewel like jellyfish surrounded by herring eggs.  The California sea lions are not reproducing at this time.  Those fellas out there on the rocks are bachelors on their way further north.