Gretchen Lang
Jan 20, 20211 min
From Paradise Beach Park pier to Richardson Bay, the annual Pacific herring spawning season is underway. Herring gather in schools to lay eggs and fertilize them on the rocks and shallows of the bay. Gulls, pelicans and cormorants screech and dive, competing with seals and sea lions for a taste of the silvery fish and their roe. However, despite several robust spawning events, herring stocks are near all-time lows, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and for the second time in 10 years the commercial gillnet herring fishery remains closed. The recreational season remains open. (Elliot Karlan photo / For The Ark)
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