Editor’s note: A revised version of this article is available as a pdf.
Pacific herring, SteveWyshy, Flickr.
Puget Sound’s Pacific herring are a small fish with a whale-sized slate of problems.
Many of the local herring stocks are in decline and despite some localized efforts to save them, their numbers haven’t bounced back. Scientists have identified numerous culprits that have likely contributed to the waning populations, including disease, pollution, increasing numbers of predators, climate change, shoreline development, and fishing.
But from this line up of offenders, no one has been able to pinpoint the villain that bears the greatest blame for the herring’s troubles.
It hasn’t been for a lack of trying.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife keep the closest watch over Puget Sound’s approximately 20 Pacific herring stocks, with particular attention to the fish that spawn at Cherry Point north of Bellingham. The Cherry Point herring were once the largest stock in Puget Sound, but the population has been in a near freefall for decades. The number of spawning fish plummeted 92 percent from 1973 to 2012, according to data from the WDFW’s Kurt Stick.
Not all of the herring are in such dire straits. In its 2008 assessment, the most recent available, WDFW concluded that 47 percent of the region’s herring stocks were “healthy” or “moderately healthy,” based on their abundance.
However, that only tells part of the story. Wayne Landis, director of the Institute of Environmental Toxicology at Western Washington University and herring population expert, drilled into WDFW data that included information about the age of the fish. Age matters because older fish have more and healthier offspring.
In a paper published in 2010, Landis concluded that in the ‘70s, local herring sometimes lived 8 or 9 years, but that over time the stocks have been getting younger until now most live only to age 2 or 3. And this trend toward younger fish was seen in populations not just at Cherry Point, but around Puget Sound.
But because Cherry Point was such an important stock historically and one that dropped so far, the fish there have garnered special attention.
Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Flickr.
While the state still allows some herring fishing in Puget Sound, Cherry Point fish and eggs were put off limits for a period in the 1980s, and then permanently in 1996. In 2000, the state Department of Natural Resources created the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve to “protect the significant environmental resource” of the area –– including the herring. Four years later, conservationists tried unsuccessfully to get Endangered Species Act protections for the beleaguered population. (The petition was denied in large part because federal scientists argued that other herring stocks could repopulate the Cherry Point area should the fish there vanish, though other researchers are skeptical.)
A Sea of Hurt
A closer look at the herring shows that they suffer from a variety of physical afflictions.
Puget Sound herring are infected with viral diseases and a parasite called Ichthyophonus hoferi, which creates heart and liver lesions, possibly impeding their swimming. Research on the parasite in 2002 by University of Washington, WDFW, and U.S. Geological Survey scientists found that in some stocks, more than half the fish carried the parasite and older fish had higher infection rates.
Herring eggs, GregTheBusker, Flickr.
A 2005 study by many of the same researchers took a closer look specifically at the Cherry Point fish. They found the stock suffered from an unusually high frequency of skeletal abnormalities and the fish were smaller and weighed less.
Many folks concerned about the herring suspected that pollution could be the trigger for the ailments and stock decline. The region is home to industrial activities including an aluminum smelter and petroleum refineries that are now operated by ConocoPhillips (also called Phillips 66) and BP. Plus, Puget Sound is continually hit with a deluge of pollution that’s carried into the sea with stormwater runoff.
Research on the mutating and deadly effects of petroleum toxics on herring eggs is well documented from the Exxon Valdez spill to a more recent accident in San Francisco Bay. Fred Felleman, a tireless advocate for the herring who holds a UW master’s degree in fisheries biology, points to a rarely discussed 1972 oil spill in the Cherry Point area as another potentially significant blow to the fish.
So the researchers investigating the mutant Cherry Point herring incubated their eggs in water from elsewhere in the Sound, and took eggs from other stocks and raised them in Cherry Point water. They found that the Cherry Point fish were abnormal regardless of where the water came from.
Around the same time, other scientists delved into the amount of pollution in the adult herring, still searching for answers to the herrings’ woes.
Jim West at WDFW and Sandy O’Neill and Gina Ylitalo at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center have taken a pollution pulse for countless species swimming in the Sound. They tested for persistent organic pollutants in herring caught in three spots in Puget Sound and those from three areas in the Strait of Georgia, including Cherry Point. The chemicals accumulate in organisms and can be passed from mothers to offspring.
The Puget Sound herring were deemed to be “significantly contaminated with PCBs, and to a lesser degree DDTs…” according to the research published in 2008; the Cherry Point fish were polluted too, but at lower levels.
No one had yet found the smoking gun to explain what some were now calling the Cherry Point Pacific Herring Syndrome.
Home, Inhospitable Home
Puget Sound sea lions, starmist1, Flickr.
But of course it’s not enough to look only at the physical condition of the fish. Scientists also have tried to unravel what’s happening with herring predators and habitat.
The tally of what doesn’t eat Pacific herring is possibly shorter than the list of what does. Marine ducks, seabirds, and crabs eat their eggs. Jellyfish and other squishy creatures slurp the larval herring. Chinook salmon, sea lions, seals, and still more birds gobble the adult fish.
Climate change and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or PDO, can warm water temperatures and potentially increase the herrings’ predators, scientists predict. Much of the Cherry Point stock’s plummet coincided with a so-called warm phase in the PDO. However, the fish haven’t rebounded during recent colder cycles.
Herring have specific environmental needs, namely shoreline areas that provide eelgrass where they deposit their sticky, tapioca-pearl eggs. The newly hatched fish also linger near these beaches after hatching. Researchers are concerned about the effects of shoreline development and activity, which can disrupt natural processes that replenish sandy beaches; destroy eelgrass beds; alter predator-prey interactions; and generally disturb fish behavior.
Human encroachment already has put the squeeze on herring. Based on spawning surveys, scientists know that in 1981, Cherry Point herring spawned along more than 60 kilometers of shoreline. By 2004, the fish utilized less than 22 km of the nearshore.
The shift is worrisome, whether it’s the result of the fish population getting smaller or because of human activity in the area. A 2006 report from the National Marine Fisheries Service concluded that the shrinking spawning area “increases risks” from man-made insults such as “oil spills and contaminant releases near Cherry Point.”
Cherry Point’s Future
The tidal wave of troubles confronting Puget Sound herring region-wide, and the Cherry Point stock in particular, are facing closer scrutiny once again. That’s because Pacific International Terminals, a subsidiary of SSA Marine, is proposing to build a deep-water shipping hub in Cherry Point to transfer coal from trains to large vessels.
The Gateway Pacific Terminal would allow for ships this size or larger to dock, JAXPORT, Flickr.
Project proponents say that their planned wharf and trestle would include numerous features to protect the environment, such as metal grating for the decking to limit the amount of shading that can kill eelgrass; a design that will prevent disturbance of the bluff and shoreline; and covered conveyors to prevent coal dust from blowing into the water.
Additionally, government agencies are working on an Environmental Impact Statement to assess what effect the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal could have on human health and the marine ecosystem. The project could be modified to better protect the environment if that is deemed necessary. And terminal supporters say they currently plan to conduct field research on the Cherry Point herring in partnership with state agencies. This research is a requirement of a 1999 settlement agreement between Pacific International Terminals, state agencies, and the non-profit Washington Environmental Council.
Shoreline train tracks, jaskdfjasudfoasdfjalsk, Flickr.
Some local herring experts remain concerned about risks associated with more shoreline development, increased train and ship traffic, the potential for oil spills, and the threat of invasive species tagging along with the shipping vessels. They ask whether Pacific International Terminals’ project can really be protective enough for the herring.
“They have to guarantee that they do not alter the spawning habitat,” said WWU’s Landis. “Have they done that? I’m not sure how you do that.”
Editor’s note: If you want to hear more from the researchers themselves, I wrote a news story about the mysterious disappearance of the herring for Crosscut.
JIM NANCE
Although I applaud your efforts to protect the resources, I feel a sense of frustration because of my past experiences.
Corporations can amass incredible inertia when they have plans for development, and politicians are sometimes part of the problem.
Good luck.
Ray Kinney
I have not read all of the research on this issue, what I have read appears consistent with toxic metals effects combined with water acidification potentiation of the metals effects.Many anthropogenic acidification pressures are beginning to be studied, show strong potential to increase pathogenic effects on aquatic organisms, and appear to be increasing beyond general adaptation of organisms to prehistoric conditions. The plasticity and resiliency of many organisms appear to have been inadequate to match the pace of pollution we have been imposing on these critters. Good background for understanding why all of this is happening without adequate assessment and corrective measures taken is presented in the February Mother Jones cover article. The article provides a basis for further helping to evaluate how metals pollution is associated with forage fish declines and prespawn mortality of returning coho salmon.Moving toward causation factor determinations needs this background. Ray Kinney
Fred Felleman
It was with trepidation that I spoke with Lisa about Cherry Point Herring having spent more time than I care to mention thinking about this issue. I ended up sharing more information then could be presented, but overall it was great to see the herring finally getting some attention. Chris Dunagan also just did a series on the Indicators the Partnership is using the track Puget Sound Recovery. When it rains it pours…
For context, it is important to note that most of the studies cited for Cherry Point are pretty old and SSA Marine has been recalcitrant in fulfilling the studies obligated by the settlement agreement. The fact that the one study they are doing on Vessel Traffic is being done under a new contractor is troubling. Furthermore some of the studies that were done had design flaws in their sampling and assumptions to flagrantly inIt was with trepidation that I spoke with Lisa about Cherry Point Herring having spent more time than I care to mention thinking about this issue. I ended up sharing more information then could be presented, but overall it was great to see the herring finally getting some attention. Chris Dunagan also just did a series on the Indicators the Partnership is using the track Puget Sound Recovery. When it rains it pours…
For context, it is important to note that most of the studies cited for Cherry Point are pretty old and SSA Marine has been recalcitrant in fulfilling the studies obligated by the settlement agreement. The fact that the one study they are doing on Vessel Traffic is being done under a new contractor is troubling. Furthermore some of the studies that were done had design flaws in their sampling and assumptions to direct attention away from the contributions of the industrial facilities to the herring decline.
Now for my point (talk about burying the lead).
1- While WDFW is correctly credited for “keeping the closest watch” over the State’s 20 herring stocks, the next paragraph notes that the most current published assessment is 2008.
2- No sooner did the PSP Leadership Council overrule WDFW’s request that jellyfish, not herring, be used as an Indicator Species that WDFW stopped sampling the spawning fish instead of making wild assumptions about the number of fish based on the amount of eggs distributed over a potentially wide area.
3- A critical reason Cherry Point herring gets attention was not included – their genetic uniqueness due to their spring spawning while all other stocks spawn in winter. It also appears that these late spawners are more tolerant of high temperatures and could therefore provide important adaptive value in warming seas.
4- I have been the only one to bring attention to the timing of the large spill at Cherry Point the year preceding the steep decline of the stock which could also help to explain their genetic damage. It is also worthy to note that the refinery was being built the previous two years and prior to that the Westshore coal terminal was built in the northern limits of the Cherry Point run. The location of that terminal results in excessive amounts of coal being blown into the water where the accumulated PAH’s would have significant impacts on these spring spawners due to UV enhanced toxicity.
5 – NMFS excuse for not listing the Cherry Point stock in response to the petition I wrote for CBD was the same they used to not list the Southern Resident orca – They’re distinct, they’re in decline, but there are other fish in the sea. Like the orca, even if another group of that species moves in to replace where they left it is not going to be the same. Other herring stocks will not be spring spawners which have evolved to appear when forage is available and numerous other predators such as surf scoters and Nooksack chinook have come to “expect.”
6- The fact that Cherry Point herring are not quite as polluted as other stocks does not mean that their level of pollution is not deleterious. Furthermore if they had tetragenic impacts from a majore spill during the spawning season, it should not matter what water the eggs are incubated in, they have the gift that keeps on giving.
I am glad to see Wayne Landis’ quotes but I am concerned how SSA has been using his research to support their claim that their project would be anything but the last straw that break’s the fishes back.
Kevin Matthews
Curious about the state of the art of large vessel anti-fouling treatments, and how the toxicity from these might fit into the current and future survival challenges to the herring, and the many other specifies that depend on them.
David Otness
Resurrection Bay Conservation Society.
Seward, Alaska
Seward has had a coal terminal for 3 decades with the attendant coal dust pollution.
Earle Jewell
I was the WDF biologist assigned to working on herring in the mid 60’s. I noted that no mention was made of the clouds of alumna dust that occurred when ships were unloading. At that time the herring were near their peak. Divers at the time told me of alumna dust as far south as the Pt Migley buoy , Lummi Island. Spawners were noted as far South as the west shoreline of Portags Island. My primary work was on the large population wintering at Eliza Island and my observations were incidental to other work in the area.
Jonn Matsen
My name is Jonn Matsen and I am the herring recovery coordinator of the Squamish Streamkeepers Herring Recovery Coordinator just north of Vancouver, B.C. First we brought back a herring run in Squamish that had lost it’s natural spawning vegetation. Using artificial materials the run returned in 6 years with hundreds of dolphins after them.
Following this surprising result we found dead herring eggs at Fisherman’s Wharf in Vancouver and by applying similar artificial spawning materials we hatched out one billion eggs last year and these fish were tested and confirmed to be Cherry Point stock. Their spawning starts in early February and peaks in mid-March. We have photo documentation of all of this.
Spencer Masters
I remember miles of herring off of Hansville in the early 1940s and seiners netted then out. Can there be an project and grant too get them back. I sent a letter to the governor and was ignored. Too plant salmon is a waste of money and time! The salmon are now staving.
Fred Rogers
The herring are almost gone, salmon stock depleted, Orcas starving; what else has to happen before action is taken to save the native species…
Not only should this be stopped without a second thought, commercial fishing should drastically reduced, or suspended for atleast 5 to 10 years; to give the different species a chance to recover. We are doing this to ourselves, and we are the only ones that can fix it.
Mike MacKay
Maybe it’s time to concider a herring hatchery. There are herring hatcheries in Japan. The Lummi Nation has had some sucess with native Chinooks enhancemet. They are a logical choice for this kind of venture, having a traditional relationship to the Cherry Pt. herring and the facilities available for this kind of endavour.
Tove Nelson Chatham
My new book called The Herring Lady’s Plan to save the Orcas will be published today. I have pictures and data going back to 1953 on how we started Herring runs I will gladly send a pdf to any of you Herring enthusiasts!
Tove Nelson Chatham
tuscany2001@msn.com June 2, 2019
George david Traylor
Harvesting of the kelpl / Eel grass where the herring lay their eggs in the south Puget sound has been going on for years, low tides the kelp becomes easy picking, and it continues in Puget sound and areas where salt water and easy access combine, driving in and around Ive seen kelp drying on fence’s. The first time I saw the Kelp cutters I was boat fishing around the Narrows bridge low tide, 10 cutters cutting thats one problem and that was 30 years ago about the same time herring started a decline.