March is herring month at the PWSSC. Follow along on our social media channels to learn about herring in the Prince William Sound and how we are studying them. If you are interested in what is going on in the field of herring research, watch the video below of Dr. Alysha Cypher’s Tuesday Night Talk where she discusses her past research dealing with the effects of oil on herring.

Pacific herring are a type of forage fish. This means they are preyed upon by other fish, seabirds, and marine mammals for food; while they eat zooplankton, phytoplankton, crustaceans, and small fish. Herring generally live 8-16 years. Pacific herring travel in schools. They are also known to migrate. Herring migrate offshore to eat and nearshore to spawn. They also display what is known as the ‘diel vertical migration’ pattern, which means they stay deeper in the ocean during the day and then come up to the shore at night to feed.

There are five stages of the herring lifecycle. Eggs are laid in nearshore vegetation and hatch around 10-14 days. When herring eggs hatch, the babies are known as larvae. The larvae cannot swim well and are at the mercy of the current. Ideally, the larvae will end up in bays where they are protected. Herring become juveniles around 80-100 days, after going through a metamorphosis. During this stage, they get their scales. The juveniles are generally found forming schools in small bays and channels. Eventually, the juvenile herring are considered fingerlings; although, some still consider them juveniles. During this stage, they move into deeper waters where they continue to grow and feed. After three or four years they mature into adults and become part of the spawning population. Adult herring spawn every year in shallow waters with vegetation. This can happen in both intertidal and subtidal zones. Eggs attach to vegetation, while milt is released freely in the water column to fertilize the eggs. On average, a single female herring lays around 20,000 eggs. It is estimated that only 1 out of 10,000 eggs reaches adulthood.

Did you know that 26% of the permitted and pending Alaskan kelp farms are in Prince William Sound? We have the interest here, but can we stay on top of this budding industry? The PWSSC is pitching in to keep Prince William Sound on the map for mariculture by providing workshops and starting a research and commercial kelp nursery.   

On Sunday, March 4, we held our first “Kelp the Sound” workshop. Attendees learned about the farming process, the state of the market, nursery operations, permitting, how to select a farm site, how to avoid conflicts with fisheries, farming arrays, processing, and more. Attendees also heard stories from farmers around the area and were treated to a live cooking demonstration. This workshop will be held annually in March and is free for residents of Prince William Sound.

The PWSSC kelp nursery will open this summer and address farmer-inspired questions about when and where to obtain seed stock. We can also provide farmers with commercial kelp for the season. Each season, kelp farmers obtain 50 adult plants with fertile tissue and send it to a nursery. To date, the most accessible nursery was Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute in Seward. While they are very adept at growing kelp, shipping costs are prohibitive for PWS farmers. By providing local capacity, we strive to keep PWS farmers at the forefront of this budding industry.  

The Science Center is proudly hosting a Stitch Your Science exhibit this spring. We welcome fiber artists of all mediums to submit a piece which chronicles their experience with climate change. 

Changing weather patterns are on a lot of people’s minds lately. These changes can bring about confusion, fear, and even grief. Regardless of our beliefs on the causes of climate change, we share concerns over how it will impact our lives and livelihoods. One way to deal with the intangibility of emotions is to channel them into creating something with your hands. 

What might this look like? Anything you want it to look like! This is meant to be a creative exercise. See more details and ideas here. The image above is a part of the Adirondack Watershed Institute's Wool and Water exhibit and is titled Ice Fishing Blues by Michael Glennon. It represents the threat to ice fishing from climate change.

Pieces are due by April 15 and will be on display through June.