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Volunteers prep for herring spawn

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful week. Looks like that big bright ball in the sky made its appearance a few times. They say, “Spring is just around the corner.
herring

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful week. Looks like that big bright ball in the sky made its appearance a few times. They say, “Spring is just around the corner.” Who is “they” anyway?

Herring spawning season is almost here, and volunteers are getting ready to install and monitor the herring spawning curtains all along the Sunshine Coast. Herring are not finding the natural kelp or eelgrass to lay their eggs on so the herring that do arrive along the Sunshine Coast are looking for other surfaces. The herring spawning curtains were created, modified, refurbished and installed in the hopes that the herring would find these curtains a perfect place to lay their eggs. Some high school students along with many volunteers were involved with making the curtains and installing them.

Mike Price, president of the Rotary Club of Sechelt, shared some information about the Herring Enhancement Program (HEP): “In 2020 on the Sunshine Coast from Egmont to Gibsons we collectively supported 90 curtains being used to attract the herring to lay their eggs on, instead of on creosote pilings! Unfortunately, the success rate for attracting herring to spawn was not great.” Although 2020 was not as successful as the previous year, volunteers will try again and hope that, “if you build it, they will come.”

The Rotary Club of Sechelt will be coordinating the program again this year and are working on COVID protocols for volunteers. Currently “how to” material is being prepared that will include video, PowerPoint presentation and flyers. The herring spawning season is typically between February and as late as April, but every year is different. Stay tuned for more information and how to volunteer. If you have any questions, please send an email to secheltrotaryclub@gmail.com, with HEP in the subject line. Let’s hope that 2021 will be a record spawning year for these amazing little creatures that are so important to our coastal environment. Thank-you to Mike and all the awesome volunteers who will take part in this project!

The Coopers Green Hall Replacement Project community engagement session held on Jan. 28 was well presented and facilitated. The session was available to view on YouTube or participate in discussion via Zoom. To watch the recording of the session or view the presentation slides, visit the SCRD website under Coopers Green. A questionnaire was available until Feb. 4 and feedback gathered from this will be presented to the SCRD board in late February. The board is expected to make a decision about the project funding at its March 4 budget meeting. Please stay tuned and informed.

Be safe, be gentle and always be kind.

Have your “Say at the Bay,” please contact me before 5 p.m. on Mondays. cindy.kisser@telus.net