Tag Archives: Migration

Abundance. From Abundance : Spawning Herring

The First Fish

After winter’s thaw and before salmon return to their natal rivers an important, silver fish appears by the millions along the northwest coast of North America. Spawning Pacific Herring provide a kickstart to the bounty of Southeast Alaska. Their oily flesh provides critical protein for migrating seabirds and returning whales and their eggs provide needed food to migrating shorebirds which have flown thousands of miles from their winter grounds. When herring spawn in abundance they attract abundance.

Herring, Kelp, Herring Eggs, Rockweed
A spawned-out herring lies among the rockweed in an estuary of SE Alaska.
Humpback Whale, Spawning, Herring, Alaska
This Humpback Whale is feeding on thousands of herring gathered in the mouth of an estuary.

The Morning As It Happened

I didn’t set out with a group of friends at 4:15AM on a clear day in Alaska in pursuit of herring. Actually, it was for birds. The “Global Big Day” is an opportunity for birders around the world to submit what they see over 24 hours to a global database which tracks and counts birds. Even if you are not a birder, you probably know that early mornings have the highest bird activity – have you ever had them wake you up?

Sunrise, old growth, tongass
We arrived at our destination right as the sun broke over the horizon and streamed through the old growth of the Tongass.

We arrived at our destination, stepped from our cars, and began to walk down a local trail. The sun burst on the horizon and its warmth only inflamed the calls of the birds. Townsend’s Warblers, thrushes, juncos, hummingbirds, and so many more! As we reached the tide flats about 20 minutes later we saw a large collection of the symbol of United States – the Bald Eagle. As it is unusual to see them in such large numbers I was curious to know why they gathered. With camera in hand I shifted my focus to that group of birds which were nearly a mile away on the coastline

Eagle, Herring, Alaska
This was only one group of the many eagles that congregated on the beach. There were four groups equally as large as this one spread across the coastline.

The walk was longer than it looked! It took 20 minutes to get closer to the eagles and as our path wound down an estuary river we began to see what the fuss was all about : flashing herring were spawning in the rockweed. Other pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. Looking out at the ocean a large pack of Stellar’s Sealions patrolled the water, twelve harbor seals floated nearby, gulls passed over head continuously, a flock of Least Sandpipers flew by squeaking and squawking, and a Humpback Whale glided through the water only a few feet from the shore. They were here for one reason only – the abundant food.

Herring As Food

Herring, tide, trapped
These herring were trapped by the receding tide. Eagles, gulls, and ravens were able to scoop up as many as their bellies could hold.

There are about 290 calories per fillet (143g) of herring and 26% of your daily intake of fat. For wildlife they are nutrient powerhouses worth working for. Diving seabirds specialize in capturing them and Humpback Whales have perfected scooping them up in their huge mouth. However, very little effort was needed to catch herring this day. Some of the herring were trapped by the receding tide and flopped on the rockweed. All around us were torn and mangled bodies of fish had been eaten by the swarms of eagles, gulls, and ravens through the night. The Humpback Whale lunge-fed dozens of times on the spawning herring as we watched.

Abundance. From Abundance.

The film below showcases what we saw that morning. I hope it gives you a sense of place and a connection to the importance of herring and the necessity of keeping them abundant. The images below show off just a small slice of the wildlife frenzy around the herring that morning.

Abundance is created from abundance. I was so fortunate to watch these sites unfold before my eyes. It caused me to reflect on the importance of a healthy herring population. Healthy herring populations create thriving fishing industries, maintain bustling eco-tourism opportunities through whale watching and other marine activities, provide food for wildlife, and provide the continuation of the cultural practices of coastal people that have relied on them since time immemorial. As the base of the food chain a healthy herring population is critical for a thriving ecosystem that provides for people and wildlife. Here’s the catch – not all herring populations are healthy.

Herring need your help – they need you to care about them. They are in decline due to overfishing and changes in the ocean. Particularly harmful is the sac roe fisheries which net up herring right before spawning when they are the most vulnerable. The sac roe fishery is highly profitable and creates a luxury food item – herring roe – for mainly Asian markets. Herring fisheries have a history of collapsing under industrial fishing pressure. With marked declines in SE Alaska and Canadian herring population occurring, that knowledge alone makes it impossible for me to support an industry that creates a luxury item and supports only a small portion of the fishing fleet. I do not believe the cost (loss of other fishing industries, marine mammal reduction, seabird die offs) are nearly worth the benefit (a luxury item). I encourage you to do your research on this topic, but believe we need to err on the side of caution and halt fisheries that harvest at the bottom of the food chain. If you believe what I am saying rings true then please consider advocating to your representative or joining your voice to Herring Advocacy Groups.

Seeing the Cycle : The Pink Salmon of Valdez

Everyone has heard about the salmon runs of Alaska. Kids grow up watching or reading National Geographic specials premiering leaping salmon and an eager bear mouth hanging open at the tops of raging rapids waiting for a fish to land in it. These iconic salmon runs are one of the great migrations of Alaska and each year the input of nutrients from dying salmon fuels an entire ecosystem, and caught, drying salmon feed entire villages. The images and videos of an Alaskan salmon run prime the imagination, but to see a great run of salmon roiling over each other is an incredible spectacle!

At the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery tens-of-thousands of pink salmon build up in the small river mouth. These fish are the result of up to 230,000,000 pink salmon eggs the hatchery is permitted to incubate. The average return of salmon is 10,000,000 individuals! The fish – like all salmon- are trying to reach their place of birth even it it happens to be the fish hatchery. In the waters below the a long, metal structure which directs the fish into the hatchery, fish roil, boil, and splash downstream of the weir. The weir also keeps the salmon from running up Solomon Gulch, which is only used as a fresh water source and is far to small to hold all of the running fish.

The fish are chaotic, but are still conscious of their surroundings and skiddish. As you walk up to the shore a mere feet the salmon, they scatter as if you were a bear. Pink salmon have a different life cycle than their larger cousins like chinooks, cohos, and chum. The fish mature in 2 years and there are genetically distinct ‘odd’ and ‘even’ year populations because ‘odd’ and ‘even’ year fish do not breed with each other. In general pink salmon do not travel as far upstream as other salmon – usually no further than 40 miles. However, certain rivers have pink salmon which can travel 250 miles. The large breeding hump has earned them the nickname ‘humpies’ (http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/?adfg=pinksalmon.main)

The gallery below attempts to capture the chaos of salmon rolling over salmon. Faces with wild eyes appeared and disappeared below the surface as they jockeyed for position in the current. The staggering number of fish is inconceivable and becomes even more so if you think of how many other rivers run in Alaska with the same, strong numbers.

The salmon provide food for many animals; bear crossing signs along the river are a constant warning to stay out of the way when the bruins appear. In the hatchery area, several Steller Sea Lions harvested salmon in nature’s equivalent of fast food. Every brown-fur head to submerge below the surface resulted in a small wall of water from the fleeing salmon. Pictured below, a large male caused panic among the pinks as he repeatably dove and came up with fish. When he emerged with a  flopping salmon, it was thrashed against the surface pulling it apart to be consumed and leaving scraps in the water for begging gulls. This behavior mimicked the behavior or the California Sea Lion that we observed last year.

This short video captures some of the sound, chaos, and power of the running salmon, the sea-side, and shows a full hunting sequence of a Steller Sea Lion!

A hunting stellar's sealion is a dangerous thing for salmon. They try to get away as fast as possible!
A hunting steller sealion is a dangerous thing for salmon. They try to get away as fast as possible!

A gull scopes out what's left of this pink salmon - is there any left for it??
A gull scopes out what’s left of this pink salmon – is there any left for it??

Stellar's Sealions are not the only ones which benefit from dinner. This glacous-winged gull is waiting for an easy meal.
Steller Sealions are not the only ones which benefit from dinner. This glacous-winged gull is waiting for an easy meal.

A stellar lion comes up with an easy meal of pink salmon below the weird at the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery.
A steller sea lion comes up with an easy meal of pink salmon below the weird at the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery.

A black-legged kittiwake takes a break from swooping over the pink salmon stacked up behind the weir.
A black-legged kittiwake takes a break from swooping over the pink salmon stacked up behind the weir.

Black-legged Kittiwakes nesting below the bridge at the hatchery.
Black-legged Kittiwakes nesting below the bridge at the hatchery.

A glacous winged-gull surveys the sea of salmon.
A glacous winged-gull surveys the sea of salmon.

Of course the fishing for the pink salmon was almost a fish a cast! You cannot fish near the weir, but that hardly mattered. Fish rose throughout the bay and could be easily fished from shore. Although many salmon ‘lose’ their appetite as they head up stream the fish will still hit spoons from time to time. Unfortunately its inevitable to snag a few too. All of the pink salmon were released because they do not taste good.

Kass with her first Alaskan Salmon!
Kass with her first Alaskan Salmon!

Fishing success! This pink salmon was drug from the stream running into the original Valdez.
Fishing success! This pink salmon was drug from the stream running into the original Valdez.

Kassie and Jenny pose with a gorgeous pair of pink salmon caught out of Valdez bay.
Kassie and Jenny pose with a gorgeous pair of pink salmon caught out of Valdez bay.

Pink salmon caught outside around Valdez
Pink salmon caught outside around Valdez

The thumbs up and fish say it all. A great trip to Valdez!
The thumbs up and fish say it all. A great trip to Valdez!