Feeding Frenzy in Sausalito

Schools of herring have made their way back to the Sausalito waterfront over the past few weeks, creating a riotous scene of squawking seagulls, diving pelicans, and barking sea lions.

The annual migration of herring has slackened off in recent years and was so minimal in 2011 that the fishing season was canceled altogether. This year the herring are back in greater numbers, so the local fleet of herring boats can be seen plying the waters just off of Bridgeway. It’s an awe-inspiring sight at the height of the season, with dozens of fishing boats pulling in their nets, while the skies above are filled with huge flocks of gulls, cormorants and pelicans. The waters surrounding the boats are swarming with wily sea lions, who are also trying to get a quick snack. The scene unfolds on winter mornings, generally from mid-December into late February.

The herring of San Francisco Bay were almost wiped out from over-fishing that took place in the early 20th century. At that time, herring were not considered a highly valuable fish, but their flesh could be rendered into oil or ground into meal for fertilizer. Herring stocks were almost completely depleted by 1919, and local fishermen moved on to look for other species. Over the next few decades, the schools of herring gradually recovered, although there still wasn’t enough of a market for herring to justify starting up the fishery again.

In 1971, international tension half a world away led to a change in this situation. Since the end of World War II, Japan and the Soviet Union had been in a state of disagreement over the sovereignty of the Kuril Islands, which were taken by the Soviet Union in 1945. The situation came to a boiling point when the Soviet Union banned Japan from fishing in the nearby Sea of Ohkotsk. The Japanese had traditionally used the Sea of Ohkotsk as a major fishing ground for herring, which they value for its roe, a delicacy used in sushi. After the fallout with the Soviet Union, the Japanese began to look for other sources of herring, and found what they were looking for in San Francisco Bay.

Known as kazunoko in Japanese, the herring roe is judged on its color, which varies around the world from a light ochre to a shiny gold. The brighter the color of the roe, the more highly it is regarded, and San Francisco Bay herring roe is said to have a beautiful golden color highly valued by the Japanese. This set the stage for the rebirth of the herring fishery in Sausalito.

Each winter, when fish populations are deemed sufficient to allow for a fishing season, the Sausalito waterfront is the scene of much of the action. The herring swim into the Bay in large schools, seeking out the rocky shallow areas near the shore to lay their eggs. The boats work directly above the schools of fish, while the sea lions and pelicans scramble over anything in between. It’s a fascinating site to watch the boats pulling in their nets, loaded down with hundreds of fish that splash into the boats.

Good places to get close up views of the fishing boats in action are along Bridgeway, just south of downtown Sausalito, and in Gabrielson Park near the ferryboat terminal. Watch for groups of sea lions congregated together – they can be spotted by the circle of fins that stick up above the water, while they gorge themselves on the herring below. Early morning is the best time to view the spectacle. It can be particularly dramatic as the sun rises up from the East Bay hills and shines its first light on the Bay.

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