Abstract
Pacific herring, a keystone species, was a lucrative Tomales Bay fishery from the early 1900’s through 2007. The commercial fishery collapsed due to overfishing. The 2007 commercial fishery closure and the resulting low fishing pressure provided an opportunity to research reproductive characteristics of Pacific herring in its habitat, particularly its spawning substrate preferences. The literature is contradictory on this aspect of its life history. Eelgrass has been noted as being a “nursery” for Pacific herring. Yet also noted is Pacific herrings’ use of other vegetation and abiotic structures for this same purpose. For this study, two Tomales Bay sites were selected and artificial “spawning meadows” were constructed from different materials at each site. Natural eelgrass beds were used as a control because it is the dominant seagrass in Tomales Bay.