It is the fact that Cherry Point herring is the Sound’s largest stock which has fall to an 88 percent over the last 30 years. It is observed that this summer’s spawning numbers are near rock bottom. It is now difficult for scientists and environmentalists to figure out the reasons behind such a fall of herring stocks. But it is said that nearby refineries and the well documented mutations caused in herring by exposure to minute amounts of oil is one potential culprit.
Another reason is the loss of eel grass beds where they lay their eggs just south of Bellingham. In Washington Sea Grant program, researchers dove into herring DNA to try to unravel the puzzle. Turns out other herring stocks in the Sound do migrate between different spawning spots, even repopulating locations where the stocks temporarily have gone extinct.
Migration cannot be the reason as the Cherry Point fish, which spawn later than other stocks, don’t mix and mingle. While still small and silvery like their brethren, these herring are genetically different. Herring huggers tried to get Endangered Species Act protections for this population in 1999 and 2004, but NOAA Fisheries Service ruled that since there are other stocks, the Cherry Point drop from 11,000 tons in 1978 to less than 1,400 tons this year didn’t merit extra protections.
