How To Report Herring Spawn Sightings on iNaturalist

Want to contribute to community science while walking the beach? Simply snap a photo of Pacific herring eggs or milt (milky-white water) when you come across them and upload your observations to iNaturalist! Your observations will help grow a public collection of Pacific herring spawn and egg locations captured under the Pacific Herring Spawn and Nurseries iNaturalist project.

If you’re not sure what herring spawn looks like, you can consult reference photos on iNaturalist – or see the photos in this post.

To upload your observations, download the iNaturalist app or access iNaturalist.ca on your smartphone or computer. Create a free iNaturalist account using an email and password. Upload your photos by clicking the plus sign in the green circle (app) or the upward pointing arrow/upload button (website). Provide the species name (Pacific herring), the location and time that the photos were taken, and submit your observations.

After you have uploaded your observations, be sure to annotate them with the Life Stage “Egg” so that they are captured within the Pacific Herring Spawn and Nurseries project.

Screenshot of iNaturalist Project on desktop