Fish
A description of ocean life along the North Pacific Coast would be incomplete without a look at the amazing fish that live here. More than 400 known species of marine fish live off the coast of British Columbia, and they are all fascinating.
Consider the tiny sandlance, which burrow into the sand to protect themselves from predators; the herring whose schools can weigh thousands of tonnes; the rockfish that can live twice as long as humans; halibut the size of a sheet of plywood; and salmon, a top cultural icon of British Columbia.
Each species occupies a different niche, and together they embody an enormous biomass, biological diversity, and basis for cultural, social and economic activity. The PNCIMA plan needs to address the wide ranging needs of these integral fish. It's not just about how we manage the fish; it's about how we manage the entire ecosystem that provides the homes for this diversity.
Herring and their nutritious spawn are an essential part of the diet of cod, halibut, lingcod, coho salmon, Chinook salmon, harbour seals, invertebrates, seabirds, sea lions, porpoises, baleen whales and eagles. The mature biomass of herring in the North Pacific Coast area averages an incredible 100,000 metric tonnes.
Schools of herring vary in size but can weigh tens of thousands of tonnes and stretch several kilometres in length.
The eulachon is another schooling fish that provides an important base in the coastal food chain. This fish has historically been a dietary staple, as well as a culturally and spiritually significant fish, for many of the region’s First Nations.
Unlike herring, eulachon are anadromous: they spawn in rivers but then spend 95 per cent of their lives in the ocean. Eulachon are an extremely fatty fish, which has helped them earn their nickname “candlefish”. The fat content of this fish is so high that when caught, dried, and strung on a wick, eulachon can be burned as a candle.
Almost 90 per cent of B.C.’s eulachon spawning rivers are located along the North Coast Pacific.
Rockfish are truly the elders of the sea. Some rockfish species are among the longest living animals in the world, with some species (such as Rougheye Rockfish) surviving for more than 200 years, outliving humans, elephants, and even turtles. It is possible that some rockfish now swimming in the waters of the North Pacific Coast may have been alive when the first European explorers were arriving on British Columbia’s coast.
At least 36 different species of rockfish are found in B.C., and 19 of them are commercially fished. Because they grow slowly and are slow to mature, this staple of B.C.’s groundfish industry is particularly vulnerable to overfishing.
Salmon are a cultural icon in B.C. The ocean and tributaries of the North Pacific Coast are truly “salmon country”, with an average of 25 to 30 million adult salmon returning to the North Pacific Coast watersheds every year. Millions more salmon – five different species in total – migrate through the area, travelling up to 3,200 kilometres at sea before returning to spawn in the rivers and streams where they were born.
Wild salmon play a pivotal role in B.C.’s ecology and economy. They feed whales, eagles, bears, forests, fishermen, and millions of Canadians, and bring 1.4 billion wilderness tourism dollars into B.C., connecting the oceans to the mountains to the economy. Nitrogen from salmon has been found in trees next to salmon-spawning rivers, demonstrating the role of salmon in bringing nutrients from the ocean to terrestrial systems.
To see maps of where many species of fish may be found in B.C. waters, visit the Fish pages of the Marine Atlas of Pacific Canada.
Sources:
Ryan Bartling. (2008) Ch. 11 Pacific Herring in Status of the fisheries report - An update through 2006. California Department of Fish and Game, Marine Region.
Jeff Fargo, Lesley MacDougall, and Isobel Pearsall. (2007) Ecosystem Overview Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area - Appendix G: Groundfish.
Jake Schweigert, Bruce McCarter, Tom Therriault, Linnea Flostrand, Christa Hrabok, Paul Winchell, and Duncan Johannessen. (2007) Ecosystem Overview Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area - Appendix H: Pelagic Fishes.
Kim Hyatt, M.S. Johannes, and Margot Stockwell. (2007) Ecosystem Overview Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area - Appendix I: Pacific Salmon.
