Heidi VanLith
Special to The Chief
The Squamish Streamkeepers will be installing clusters of hemlock into the Mamquam Blind Channel, Saturday (Feb. 18) to attract herring to spawn in the waterway.
At approximately 10 a.m. the team will leave the boat launch ramp carrying 16 trees that will be stationed in clusters of four to six in three different areas along the channel.
"It turns out that the Heiltsuk Nation in Bela Bela use the hemlock to attract the herring to spawn on the branches," said Squamish Streamkeepers coordinator John Matsen. "The herring have been spawning on the creosote pilings but we've found through autopsies done by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans that the creosote, a preservative used on the pilings so they don't rot out, is killing the larvae."
The Streamkeepers are experimenting with this operation in hopes of returning the natural wildlife that accompanies herring growth to the area.
"We're hoping to see results this year and will be checking the progress weekly," said Matsen. "Because each female lays 25,000 eggs we should have a great survival rate."
Typically, herring spawn on aquatic grass such as eelgrass and kelp, but due to declines of this vegetation and logging practices Matsen says the herring population is diminishing.
