Edible Vancouver Island March/April 2024

his community lowers different types of kelp into the water as the herring spawn approaches. The female herring lay their eggs on the

spawning season saw an additional moment of optimism for herring stocks near Vancouver Island when news spread of another spawn

kelp, which is brought out of the water after three or four days to be dried. Boats move through the territory slowly and quietly, minimizing engine noise and loud voices that could scare away herring, and avoiding areas where the spawn is still happening. Their focus is on the roe–the herring themselves are left to spawn another year to keep stocks healthy. Unlike salmon, which only spawns once, herring can spawn up to ten times in their lifetime.

further north at Port McNeill–where many locals shared that it was the first spawn there that they could remember. This year, keep an eye out for a pique in the abundance of sea life: seals, whales and circling birds are often the first, more easily seen, major identifiers of the increase in herring in our local waters. Then, watch for the evident change in water colour as the spawn begins, signaling the start of spring.

The female herring lay their eggs on the kelp, which is brought out of the water after three or four days to be dried.

In some communities instead (or as well as kelp), boughs of western hemlock and red cedar are lowered into the ocean waters in sturdy bundles close to shore with a float at the top and a weight at the bottom. The female herring lay their roe on the boughs which, just like the kelp, are monitored over a few days and then hauled out to dry. Roe is usually eaten raw or sun-dried–the balls popping with each bite, releasing a distinctive but subtle salty taste. The kelp it clings to, rather than being disposed of, is often eaten with the roe in one bite. Otherwise, it is either peeled off the boughs and kelp or even eaten with the hemlock by some groups. The latter has a unique taste that celebrates a food and gathering system that truly encompasses land and sea. THE FUTURE OF HERRING The not-so-humble herring has faced diminishing stocks over the last century due to methods of commercial fisheries, but these traditional, low-impact methods offer hope for the future of the fish. Last year’s

Camilla Sampson has been attending the Hornby Herring Festival since 2021, which is an opportunity for continuous learning and a community signifier of the seasonal shift to spring. camillasampson.com | @millysampson

Conservancy Hornby Island and many coastal non-profit organizations and Indigenous groups educate on and advocate for herring on both sides of the Island. To learn more about the herring, as well as the obstacles both this fish and its dependents are experiencing, you can attend the Hornby Herring Festival in person or virtually from March 7–9, 2024, and watch local films like The Silver in the Sea and Keepers of the Land.

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