Flying Fish

May 20, 2008 | Dams & Dam Removal

Serena McClain
Director, River Restoration, Federal Grants

More news from our Herring Warden up in Massachusetts...

Herring are preyed upon by a lot of organisms. Just a few include: striped bass, osprey, gulls, cormorants, herons, and seals. Over the last couple months, I've seen them gobbled up by all of the above except seals. Osprey are my favorite herring hunters since their hunting tactic of plummeting into the water from high in the sky is very dramatic. 

There is a restaurant next to the site where I do most of my counts and this week the chef came out to tell me a little story. He was standing on the outdoor deck area where there are a few tables under umbrellas for dining outdoors and he saw something fly through the air. He thought one of his friends had thrown something at him, but he heard slapping and turned around to see a fish flapping on the deck right next to a table full of patrons. Next time you're dining outside near a body of water, be warned that you could end up with more on your plate than you paid for.

As far as the herring count goes, we're at 48,000+ and still going strong. During my mourning count, I saw 60 fish go through in ten minutes. 

Cheers! Alison

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