Herring Spawn Vancouver Island

A collection of photographs featuring the beauty of nature during herring spawn on Vancouver Island in March 2023. The images were captured on the east coast of the island in Bowser, Qualicum, and French Creek. The milt of the male herring fertilizes the eggs released by the female. The chalky white substance turns the ocean waters into a myriad of shades of blue best described as the colour turquoise.

The herring spawn is one of nature’s greatest spectacles and attracts an abundance of birds and marine life to the delight of nature enthusiasts and photographers.  I adore the sea lions for their boisterous characters.  Once they have had their fill of fish they form large rafts at sea which are a sight to behold. During the spawn the sound of their barking can be heard from dawn to dusk near the seashore.  The herring spawn also attracts whales to the area and although there were numerous sightings in the area I was not fortunate enough to see any this year, perhaps next year!