Thus a few herring are showing up around the Bay. Former Virginia Governor Linwood Holton, who remains involved with Bay restoration programs, called to report a school in his cove off the Rappahannock. Writer Tom Horton saw some in the upper tidal Wicomico of downtown Salisbury. Then Mollie and I found them in Black Walnut Creek. It's early for them to spawn, with water temperatures still in the mid-40's.
Herring are mostly filter feeders.
By their method of feeding, they form a link in the chain that converts the Chesapeake s production of algae into fish flesh, rather than oxygen-robbing decay bacteria. After spawning next month, these adults will head back to the Atlantic. During their stay in the Bay, some will add more links to the food web by feeding everything large enough to eat them, from rockfish on their own spawning runs to great blue herons and ospreys. In addition, some of the young herring about to be spawned will feed white perch in the creek during the summer, as their siblings grow and prepare to make their way to the Atlantic. The ecological value of river herring may well outweigh their commercial value, a compelling reason to assist them in their rebound.