2004 Washington State Herring Stock Status Report PDF Format - [1.7MB] ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Numerous WDFW and tribal personnel have contributed to herring stock assessment efforts in Washington. Special thanks go to Steve Burton, Paul Clarke, Angela Harris, Norm Lemberg, Pat McAllister, Mark O’Toole, Dan Penttila, Don Velasquez, Jennifer Whitney, and Darcy Wildermuth. I would also like to thank Colleen Desselle for her editing and formatting expertise.

2004 Washington State Herring Stock Status Report Kurt C. Stick May 2005 Introduction The purpose of this report is to provide an evaluation of the current status of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) stocks in Washington. This report is the third edition published by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) that addresses the status of the herring resource in Washington waters. The previous editions are 1994 Washington State Baitfish Stock Status Report (WDFW 1995) and 1996 Forage Fish Stock Status Report (Lemberg et al. 1997). Previous editions of this report have presented stock status discussions for several species classified as marine forage fish in Washington waters including: herring, surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus), Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus), and northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax). However, this report is limited to the stock status of herring. Forage fish in general, and herring specifically, are vital components of the marine ecosystem and are a valuable indicator of the overall health of the marine environment. Many species of sea birds, marine mammals, and finfish, including chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and coho (O. kisutch) salmon, depend on herring as an important prey item. Significant predation occurs at each stage of the herring life cycle starting with predation on newly deposited spawn by gulls and diving ducks. In most cases, classification of a group of fish as a stock implies that these fish are in some way different or distinct from all others, and generally implies some genetic relatedness among its members (Ihssen et al. 1981). Evidence of stock structure may be shown through differences in demographic population statistics (age composition, growth rate, fecundity, etc.), morphology (morphometrics and meristics), or genetics (differentiation at allozyme or DNA loci) (Stout et al. 2001). This report considers each documented herring spawning ground in Washington waters to represent a discrete stock. WDFW herring assessment survey results indicate stock specific characteristics that continue to support the assumption of stock autonomy for Puget Sound herring (Trumble 1983 and O’Toole et al. 2000). Resource managers in British Columbia group their herring populations on a considerably larger scale; stock groupings consist of five assessment regions, one of which is the entire Strait of Georgia (Schweigert 2004). In their recent status review of Puget Sound herring the National Marine Fisheries Service concluded that local populations are the appropriate scale for fisheries management activities for Puget Sound herring (Stout et al. 2001). Microsatellite DNA studies conducted by WDFW suggest that the Cherry Point stock is distinct from other sampled Puget Sound stocks. Other sampled Puget Sound stocks were not demonstrated to be genetically distinct from each other (Small et al. 2004). Recent analyses of herring microsatellite DNA variation also suggests that the Cherry Point herring stock is genetically distinct from other examined British Columbia herring populations (Beacham et al. 2002). The stock assessment methodologies and criteria for evaluating the status of herring stocks in this report are generally similar to the first and second editions. The current sampling design for Washington herring stocks calls for annual assessment of each stock to provide an estimate of spawning biomass. Spawning herring populations in Wollochet Bay (south Puget Sound) and southern Grays Harbor on the Washington coast have been documented since the publication of the previous edition of this report. Puget Sound herring stocks are cumulatively considerably larger than coastal stocks and have received significantly more sampling effort than coastal stocks. For management purposes, Puget Sound is divided into three areas: south/central Puget Sound; north Puget Sound; and Strait of Juan de Fuca. Stock profiles, which include spawning information, annual run size estimates, and age and survival data are presented for each known stock within these management areas. The definitions for stock profile criteria follow this section. Following the Puget Sound stock status profiles, stock status summaries for 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004 are provided and are followed by a discussion and graph of cumulative herring spawner biomass estimates for the 1975-2004 period. A section discussing annual natural mortality for adult herring within Puget Sound is presented. Herring typically mature during the second or third year and recruit to the spawning population at that time. Although herring have been reported to live as long as fifteen years, relatively few currently survive longer than age 5 or 6 in Puget Sound. Stock assessment results indicate a general increase in natural mortality for Puget Sound herring since the 1970s. A summary of Puget Sound herring fisheries and landing information is provided in the next section. Herring were included in the 1974 "Boldt Decision" defining Native American fishing rights, and Washington stocks and fisheries are jointly co-managed statewide by WDFW and locally by area Tribal governments. The final section gives a synopsis for coastal herring. Stock profiles for Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor (spawning activity first documented in 1998) are included. An appendix containing herring age composition summaries is included. Estimated spawning biomass (tons) and number of fish at age are reported. Estimates are calculated from acoustic/trawl surveys.