Millions Of Spawning Fish Create Massive Buffet For Wildlife Off Central Oregon Coast

Central Oregon's Yaquina Bay is turning into a smorgasbord for local wildlife with the annual return of millions of spawning Pacific herring to the region.

According to the social media site Oregon Coast Explored the fish typically begin flooding the waters of the Pacific near the coastal towns of Newport and Lincoln City around mid-February and remain there for about a month.

Reports indicate that this year's first major influx of the small schooling fish began a few weeks back and is expected to continue for several more weeks with their heaviest concentrations being in the usual locations both inside the bay itself and along its southern jetty.

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During the herring's annual spawning sojourn, the waters in Yaquina Bay, as well as those of other coves, inlets, and sounds along the Central Oregon coastline where the fish are known to congregate often turn a milky blue color as they release their eggs and milt (seminal fluid/sperm) in vast numbers.

Marine biologists say each herring usually spends only between 48 to 96 hours at the site where they choose to spawn before heading further out to sea (if they don't become something else's dinner, that is).

Once the fish have finished doing their business, their gungy and newly-fertilized eggs adhere to various marine plants and rocks, which serve as a sort of bio-nursery for the herring larvae and fingerlings well into autumn before they are old enough to begin forming schools and make their way into the open waters of the Pacific.

This month's evanescent phenomenon also serves to provide a massive seafood buffet for a variety of wildlife, including sea lions and seals, along with a wide array of birds like cormorants, gulls, osprey, pelicans, and terns - all of which can gorge themselves on what is likely their easiest catch-of-the-day they enjoy each year.

Human anglers can also take advantage of the prolific herring shoals and are allowed to harvest up to 25 pounds of them per person in aggregate on a daily basis during the spawning event.

Although herring can be used for cooking or sometimes even to top a pizza, most people utilize them as bait to catch other types of fish, such as rockfish, salmon, and sturgeon.