Northwest Dive Club

Sorry, I don't have a picture, but I saw what I thought might have been some pacific herring (Maybe 5-6) at Cove 2 this evening. They were swimming close to the surface, maybe 15 feet away from shore, presumably snacking on the huge numbers of small jellyfish at, or near the surface. They looked to be about 6 inches, silvery, with black tips on their caudal fins.

I ask, because when I search for images of pacific herring, none of them have the black on the tips of the caudal fin that I noticed. I've seen the same sort of fish at Edmonds at a similar depth. (meaning very close to the surface)

Could they be Pacific Sandlance? I think that's what I was seeing there yesterday.

I don't think they were Sandlance. They were within inches of the surface, and I think sandlance are bottom dwellers. Their dorsal fin also didn't extend all the way along their body. It was more short and triangular.

Smelt maybe?

Although sandlance bunk down in the gravel/sand at night, they come out by day and swim in huge schools near the surface. However, I'd be hard pressed to say what their fins looked like any time I've ever seen them. Same with schools of herring. I ID'd them by the shape of their bodies and swimming style.

Sandlance:


Pacific Herring:


So the fact you got a good look at their fins must mean they're something else. (or you have amazing eyesight).

- Janna

Oh, and I've seen Tubesnouts numerous times near the surface, and they're also long and silvery and schooling:


- Janna

Definitely not Tubesnouts.

REEF totally needs to add a category for UI Baitfish!

Good point! I will get that added to the species list ASAP.
- Janna

Surf Smelt perhaps?

The schools I saw on all three dives on Wednesday at Cove 2 were Sandlance. As Janna does, I ID them by swimming style.

OK, so Greg just emailed me with another suggestion.

fnerg said there were only 5-6 individuals in the school - (I had misread that to be their length, not the size of the school). Which isn't anything like any group of sandlance or herring I've ever seen. Too small.

Greg suggests they might be juvenile salmon or cutthroat. I know this shot is really blurry, but was it anything like this?
- Janna

OH, I missed the 5-6 too.

That's exactly what they looked like! Awesome! Do you suppose they came from Lake Washington, or the Duwamish?

I would have no clue!
Glad we tracked down your sighting (thanks Greg!!)

And, thanks to your suggestion, the REEF database now has a new 'species':
0499: Unidentified Silvery Baitfish

And for Salmonids like you saw there's always:
0359: Juvenile salmonid

- Janna