Edible Vancouver Island March/April 2024

EDIBLE FEATURE

A Spawn to Signify Spring

USHERING IN THE WARMER SEASONS WITH THE PACIFIC HERRING SPAWN WORDS CAMILLA SAMPSON PHOTOS MATT SHANNON

S almon–Pinks, Coho, Chinook, Chum and Sockeye–have long held the spotlight across Vancouver Island, drawing visitors the world over and titling Campbell River as the "Salmon Capital of the World." But what about the seemingly

to modern-day Alaska, and was the cause for members of many different Indigenous communities to migrate en masse to seasonal herring fishing camps. As the water turned dark and swirling from the droves of fish returning to their spawning grounds, the likes of

humble Pacific herring? A cornerstone of our coastal ecosystems often overlooked; a feeder fish for all manner of other marine and coastal life from birds and larger fish to whales, wolves and bears; and an important signifier of spring. FOLLOWING THE FISH The herring is historically the first fish to arrive each year. According to the 13 Moons of the Sliammon, Klahoose, and Homalco People calendar, a version of which was revitalized in

the Nuu-chah-nulth, Homalco, Komoks and Kwakwaka’wakw Peoples traveled by canoe to their camps–a social event of sustenance. Some groups, such as the Nuu-chah-nulth, got to their camps as early as February to set up, ready for the moment the blue coastal inlets turned milky white from the male herring’s milt. Featured in many traditional myths and songs, herring and its roe (eggs) were far more than simply food; they were important gifts between

Roe is usually eaten raw or sun-dried–the balls popping with each bite, releasing a distinctive but subtle salty taste.

communities. Today, a deep respect continues to exist in small communities across the coast for this little fish. Every March, visitors gather at the Hornby Island Herring Festival with the hope of spotting the pearly white waters and accompanying abundance of marine life–and learning about the importance and processes of traditional Indigenous methods of herring harvesting from guest speakers. THE TASTE OF LAND AND SEA Last year at the festival, Chief Councillor and Stewardship Director of the Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation, Douglas Neasloss, shared that

2005 by the Sliammon Treaty Society’s Research Department, both “Herring Spawning (Tet’e’ku Tla’gat)” and “Herring Roe (Xaw Xa’qwum)" can be found in March. In recent years, this has tended to occur in early March around our Island, but the start can vary by weeks throughout B.C.’s coast with locals keeping a watchful eye for the first signs of the returning fish. Once it begins, the spawn usually lasts anywhere from two weeks to a month, moving its way along the nearby coastline every few days. The spawn marks the start of spring in many Indigenous traditions up and down the Pacific coastline, from modern-day Oregon

8 MAR/APR 2024 EDIBLE VANCOUVER ISLAND