A record-breaking number of lake herring have been spotted swimming along the North Shore this November, thanks to a high recruitment rate of this prized fish into the population, according to officials from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence in our careers working in fisheries management,” said Cory Goldsworthy, the Lake Superior area supervisor with the Minnesota DNR.
During a recent WTIP interview, Goldsworthy explained that the lake herring had an exceptionally successful year of recruitment in 2022, surpassing even the notable class of 1984. In fact, the current year’s recruitment is estimated to be more than double that of the previous benchmark year, according to Goldsworthy.
Lake herring, also known as cisco, play a vital role in the Lake Superior fishery and its food chain. Historically, herring had the largest commercial fishery on Lake Superior, peaking in the 1940s with an annual catch of up to 19 million pounds, as reported by the DNR. While the numbers have drastically declined since then, anglers, particularly commercial anglers, continue to harvest hundreds of thousands of pounds of herring from Lake Superior, even during low-catch years like 2014 and 2015. In total, over a million pounds of herring are harvested annually throughout the lake.
The population of herring in Lake Superior has been decreasing in recent years due to various factors, including fishing pressure, reduced ice cover (herring prefer cold water that lasts deep into the summer), and commercial anglers collecting roe for Scandinavian countries. Despite these challenges, the exceptional number of herring in Lake Superior this year holds promise for the future of the entire ecosystem, specifically for fish populations, according to Goldsworthy.
“This event will have long-lasting effects on Lake Superior,” he added.
To hear the full interview with Cory Goldsworthy, play the audio below.
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