Herring troubles with spawning

[Dave S]

My friend just forwarded an email he sent off to someone concerning the herring on south island. Here's what he wrote:

"The fact is, the herring populations have crashed in Southern BC and this has had huge affects on the rest of the food web. I am a strong lover of nature, and spend a great deal of time on the water fishing, surfing, camping, sailing, etc. I cherish seeing whales, dolphins and eagles and the herring are connected to everything either directly or indirectly. Without them everything falls apart. It seems that there has been a silent killer sitting in our estuaries, harbours and inlets for the past hundred years slowly wiping out herring runs without being noticed. I have no idea how many creosote pilings there are in BC, but it must be a staggering number. Creosote pilings seem to be the most ideal looking surface for herring to lay their eggs on and soon thereafter the eggs die. It makes you wonder if the forest of pilings that the herring would with through when entering the harbor would be attractive enough to cause them to prematurely lay their eggs before ever making it to where they should. Has anyone studied or looked into this? This was exactly the case in Squamish.
http://sqterminals.com/community/Squ...eamkeepers.htm
It was only in 2006 when they discovered this and started wrapping the pilings with landscaping cloth. They have had a doubling of herring returning each year and now have wildlife returning to Howe Sound that hasn't been seen in 30 years. You bring back the food and the hungry will follow. I witnessed a pod of hundreds of White Sided Dolphins a sight not seen until only a couple summers ago.

The success in Squamish has caused others to ask questions about there own parts of the coast such as my father in Pender Harbour and others on Bowen Island. Pender Harbour:
http://www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/stor...d=184270&stid=
Attached you will find photos of the Pender Harbour results from the first year. The pictures speak for themselves. Dead eggs on the pilings, live ones on the cloth.






above: live eggs on cloth


above: dead eggs on pilling


We'll see what this year brings. I want to see these results in our herring population. The fact that this has successfully worked in places with genetically distinct populations of herring leads me to think that it should work here, but I am no expert. I am a concerned person who wants to see ecosystem in our waters become what it once was. Herring are cool little fish, but I am doing this more for the whales, birds, seals, salmon. We need the herring to return for so many reasons.

So, what do I want to do?
Hang herring curtains at various places throughout the Gorge and Victoria Harbour. I have 4 friends who live on the gorge and are eager to put them on their docks. The herring curtains are only in the water during the months of the spawning run and then taken out, washed off, rolled up and stored until next year."

What do you guys think of this? Anyone wanting to help out in Victoria or Sooke areas?

[Dave S]

Link to more pictures of process and close ups of live and dead eggs.

https://picasaweb.google.com/113305236572191447313/20120207?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOuV9-Ds2JytCQ&feat=directlink

[Lipripper]

Wow...... Who never thought of that.?

Mind... there has to be a lot more eel grass than pilings.

[Dave S]

Science tells all

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166445X00001077

[Lipripper]

Definitely interesting to say the least.

[Dave S]

Wow...... Whoever never thought that.

I may be reading this wrong, are you saying this is a well known fact? can't tell sarcasm in text sometimes.

[wildthing]

Dave S
totally with you on this even to the point we should making more artificial reef/ kelp beds out in the straight
as boating especially commercial log booms are just doing no good what so ever
wonder why we don't get good return's in the howe sound area any more?????

most of it is now just a barren open water way
something has to be done so when fish go back to sea the have ways to survive the first year or two
before becoming food for birds and rockfish that we can't catch.

[Lipripper]

I may be reading this wrong, are you saying this is a well known fact? can't tell sarcasm in text sometimes.

I edited the post you quoted before you quoted to "Who never thought of that.?" I being one....

There was no sarcasm above and you didn't read it wrong..... I just totally posted/worded wrong

I have not heard of this and it is an interesting thought (with evidence)

My bad..

[Little Hawk]

Cool post Dave!

In my neck of the woods it was my understanding that the herring that go up the Gorge spawn in Portage Inlet. Not sure of the status of that run. Suffering I expect.

Herring reproductive rates are (as you already know) crucial to the productivity of many species. Now, if we could get our daft/corrupt gubbamint to do something intelligent about rehabbing/restoring salmon habitat and getting the fuckin' salmon-farmers OUT OF OUR WATER so them baby fish would have a fightin' chance, then we'll be on the right track.

Thanks for posting that.

[Dogbreath]

I went to a presentation by a guy from the Squamish Streamkeepers-his crew is responsible for the success on the docks up there.

Lots of hard work and common sense went a long long way-the numbers they have produced are staggering.