Yesterday the California Fish and Game Commission completed its annual consideration of regulations for the harvest of Pacific herring in California.  The Commission adopted a precautionary set of regulations for the coming year, reflecting a new appreciation of the importance of herring to marine birds and other predators in our state. While much remains to be done, we are pleased that the state has made real advances in protecting this vital food resource.

Pacific herring is an essential prey item for many of the birds we care about on the Pacific Flyway: Surf and White-winged Scoters, Harlequin Ducks, Brown Pelican, Tufted Puffin, Rhinocerous Auklet, Common Murre and more. Herring and their eggs (“roe”) are an aggregated, energy-rich source of food for migratory and resident birds on the Flyway. Herring are also essential prey for whales, pinnipeds and larger fish such as salmon. Herring spawn in a limited number of bays and estuaries on the west coast including San Francisco, Tomales, Humboldt and Yaquina bays, and Puget Sound. The biggest stocks are in San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound, British Columbia and Alaska.

Herring winter spawning“runs” in bays and estuaries on the Pacific coast in the winter create a feeding frenzy among marine wildlife, creating a spectacular wildlife display enjoyed by millions of people. In short, herring provide a tremendous service to our quality of life and our economy through their role as forage.

But herring are in trouble on the Flyway. Stocks are declining due to habitat loss, climate change and current or historic overfishing. Conserving herring requires good stewardship including commercial fisheries management, protection of spawning areas within bays and estuaries, and coordination among agencies to accomplish these goals.

Audubon California has been leading a campaign to protect and restore Pacific herring in California, starting with commercial fisheries management. With our partner Oceana we have been working with state fisheries managers and the commercial fleet to ensure commercial fishing for herring is sustainable and does not substantially impact predators. This year, the Department and the Commission agreed to our science-based advocacy platform: freeze the San Francisco Bay harvest rate at less than 5% of estimated spawning biomass; close commercial fishing in areas outside of San Francisco Bay where herring stocks are not assessed; and, make it easier for fishermen to sell fresh fish to local markets, creating a higher value product and a source of fresh, delicious local seafood.

This is great progress, but more is needed -- specifically, a fisheries management plan which will create a permanent home for key conservation tools including a harvest control rule and a cutoff for fishing activity. These tools will provide a scientific basis for setting harvest quotas and for preventing fishing when herring stock abundance is low. A fisheries management plan for herring has been identified by the state as a priority for action in the coming year, because it will free fisheries managers from the onerous annual process of setting harvest quotas and will bring management into alignment with standard approaches to fisheries management. Such a plan will also serve to implement the state’s new policy on forage species.  This historic policy, developed with support from Audubon and our partners, directs the state to ensure that the needs of predators are evaluated and accounted for when setting harvest quotas.

Finally, commercial fishing is only a part of the picture. Perhaps even more important is protecting vital spawning habitats for herring. These include eelgrass and macroalgae beds, and select rocky intertidal areas, occurring in a tiny fraction of our coast. We have identified a woeful lack of coordination or activity toward protecting herring spawning habitat around the state, and we will use the fisheries management plan process to enhance spawning habitat conservation.

Audubon California will continue to take the lead in protecting herring in California, and we will keep you updated and ask for your help at key policy junctures. In the meantime, if you live around San Francisco or Tomales bays, herring will soon arrive, nourishing birds and wildlife including our newly returned population of harbor porpoises and bottlenose dolphins, and supporting the last remaining commercial fishery in San Francisco Bay. This winter, take a moment to enjoy the rich birding opportunities offered by this amazing natural phenomenon.