Pacific herring

[ CLUPEA PALLASII ]

Under cover of night and in the surge of high tide, millions of Pacific herring move into bays and sheltered waters of the California coast to spawn this month. With silvery sides glinting in the shallow waters, they rush into the intertidal zone in a desperate race to deposit their eggs before the tide slips out again. A host of predators eagerly awaits this event. In the darkness you can hear screaming pandemonium as seals, ducks and gulls gorge on fish and eggs. And when the sun rises and the tide exposes egg-encrusted rocks and seaweed, the feasting continues with renewed vigor. Such a superabundant food source provides much-needed nutrients for larger animals as they build energy for their own breeding season.

NATURAL HISTORY

Each female herring lays up to 134,000 eggs, gluing them onto any hard surface. After a spawning event, seashore rocks look as if they’ve been dipped in translucent, orangish peas. Collecting these eggs (roe) for export is a significant industry.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

These sleek, silvery marine fish grow to 12 inches long. Although they occur south to Baja, Pacific herring are most common along the northern coast.