Herring Spawn

Pacific Herring spawn each year on the shores off the West Coast of Canada and the United States.

They spawn in shallow waters usually choosing areas with different types of marine algae such as macrocystis kelp, rock weed or sea grasses among other species. Sometimes though, they also spawn on the rocky substrate and anything in the vicinity that stands still long enough including crabs, bivalves and barnacles.

Here they have spawned on the acorn barnacles in the intertidal zone. The acorn barnacles have burrowed holes in the thick pop-corn looking, egg coverings to reach out and filter feed at high tide. This area of the coast looks like it has been covered in thick batter and the eggs are 10+ layers deep.

The toughness of these little eggs is incredible as they have to withstand periods of drying out at low tide, violent storms and being feasted on by many, many animals. This year the weather has been particularly and persistently rough but the little eggs are happily developing in the chilly Pacific waters.

After two weeks the eggs hatch and the larvae join the Ocean currents to have many marine adventures and hopefully avoid being eaten by the many mouths out there long enough to grow up and return to spawn themselves.