Another indicator species that is in trouble. As goes the herring, so go the salmon and the Orca, among others. Many agencies, including the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee, are working on protecting herring habitat. That’s why you see the “no anchor zones” in Port Townsend and Mystery Bay. They are there to help you not anchor in a location that would destroy eel grass, which is a herring habitat.
This excellent article gives a good overview of the problems facing Puget Sound herring. It’s only two pages long but you’ll learn a lot. I know I did.
Pacific herring might be the most popular dish in Puget Sound. The small silvery swimmers are called “forage fish” not because they’re rummaging for food, but because just about everything wants to eat them. They fill the bellies of Puget Sound sea life, from giant sea lions to the iconic chinook salmon to tiny jellyfish, which means that they’re key players in the local marine ecosystem. That makes herring fundamentally important – and it makes their shrinking numbers alarming. Lisa Stiffler reports.
http://crosscut.com/2013/03/27/animals-wildlife/113579/mysterious-decline-Puget-Sound-herring/
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