Massive anchovy school in White Rock draws a crowd
Credit to Author: Glenda Luymes| Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2019 00:22:53 +0000
Thousands of anchovies provided a holiday feast for sea birds, seals and sea lions in White Rock this week, with the seaside spectacle also attracting crowds of curious onlookers.
A vast school of the tiny fish teemed in the water near the repaired pier, while thousands of dead fish washed up on shore.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said photographer Marissa Baecker, who was visiting White Rock from Kelowna on Christmas Day. “It wasn’t just a feeding, it was a feast.”
Dead anchovies washed up on shore. Photo by Marissa Baecker.
Even those who study and protect White Rock’s marine life were surprised by the size of the school.
“It’s kind of crazy,” said Matt Christensen, the vice-president of the Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society. “It feels like a celebration here.”
But Christensen was also concerned about the high number of dead fish, which could be attributed to them becoming trapped near shore and running out of oxygen.
“It really shows the importance of studying these systems,” he said. “Although these events may happen naturally, when compounded (with) all the other pressures — a warming ocean, pollution, overfishing, sea level rise — the species has reduced resiliency.”
In 2016, anchovies were seen in “phenomenal numbers” in Howe Sound, likely as a result of El Niño’s warming impact on West Coast waters, a Vancouver Aquarium biologist said at the time.
Massive schools of the fish were also reported off California coast in 2014.
According to the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the northern anchovy is easily recognized by its long upper jaw. The fish, which can reach 25 centimetres in length, are coloured blue-green on the back and have a silver belly and sides.
Anchovies are a good source of food for other species.
Photo by Marissa Baecker.
Photo by Marissa Baecker.
Photo by Marissa Baecker.
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