Search for Slhawt’ (Herring)

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans conducted studies on herring spawn abundance and sites from 1966 to 2001. Since then, herring spawn presence has not been formally studied in Átl’ḵa7tsem/Howe Sound, apart from reporting done by Ocean Watch in 2017 / 2020, and community science surveys conducted by John Buchanan starting in 2010. DFO studies were done for stock assessment purposes, and, when compared with results from John Buchanan, they demonstrated an obvious gap in data along the northwest coast of Átl’ḵa7tsem/Howe Sound.

In the winter of 2019, Kiyowil Elder Bob Baker and several other Skwxwú7mesh Elders asked that the students of Aya7ayulh Chet/Cultural Journeys program (St’a7mes School) hatch a plan to bring the community back into relation with the herring of Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound.

For the first time in many generations, the community gathered to celebrate the return of the herring, known as Tem Slhawt’. The students hung cedar and hemlock bows in the intertidal zone off a beach near St’a7mes Village, and within a week the herring came to release their eggs, coating the bows in ch’em’esh. Watch a video about 2019 ch’em’esh here.

This same year, local community scientist John Buchanan began passing on local knowledge about herring spawns and how to search for their tiny translucent eggs. 

In 2020, the students of Aya7ayulh Chet began receiving letters from ‘Harriet the Herring’.

This magnificent little fish teaches the youth about her fish family and the Salish Sea that they call home. As winter drew to a close, the students prepared bows to be placed in the water once again. The winds howled and the tides were large, and by the time the herring had come and gone, so had the hemlock bows planted by the students. It was a tough lesson to see and feel the strength of the ocean.

This was the first year that the Search for Slhawt’: Herring Spawn Survey team was formed. Guided by Fiona Beaty, the team included Matthew Van Oostdam, Jonny Williams, Nolan Rudkowsky, Myia Antone, Bridget John, and Kieran Brownie. They began snorkeling and searching for the eggs of herring and the habitats they use. This was the first year that John Buchanan formally passed on these responsibilities and the team began mapping and sharing the story of herring in Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound.

In 2021, the students of Aya7ayulh Chet prepared for another ch’em’esh harvest and the Searching for Slhawt’ team took to the water by boat and snorkel to understand how the herring were navigating Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound. John Buchanan provided a framework for the team to document Tem Slhawt’ over its entire duration, and this year they were putting it into practice.

While the surveys were underway, the students of Aya7ayulh Chet studied the moon and tides to predict the arrival of the herring in Skwxwú7mesh. Following the students’ recommendations, the community gathered on the beach to welcome the herring through ceremony. With their best energy, they dropped the bows for the third time, hoping the herring would bless their work. To everyone’s delight, the herring not only returned, but we even got to witness the spawn take place. Children and elders alike grinned from ear to ear, trying to make out the flashes of silver in the water.

In 2022, the MSI survey team grew to include Courtney Smaha and Vivian Joseph. The team expanded to cover a larger region of Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound, and documented herring spawns using a standardized protocol. Land-based surveys
were conducted by a group of 20 volunteers, based on visual inspection of the shoreline. This was the first year where a formal report was created to share the survey findings.

On March 4th, 2022 the Herring Ceremony at the St’a7mes Village waterfront took place. And on April 18th, a spawn event covered hemlock boughs that had been placed in the water by community members and children at St’a7mes School.

In 2023, the Searching for Slhawt’ team welcomed Matty Moore from the Squamish Nation Rights and Title Department and Addison Farr of Seadog Expeditions. A team of nearly 30 volunteers helped to conduct land-based surveys. Between all the volunteers, staff, and contractors, we spent a combined 724 hours searching for herring spawn in 2023.

The students from St’a7mes School marked the return of the herring with one of the biggest celebrations since our work began, and the survey team witnessed the power and life of Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound as they swam its shores alongside orcas, sea lions, anchovy and herring. 

Read the full 2023 report here.

The 2024 survey season report is coming soon!

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