The freshly deposited herring eggs on seaweed or rocks attract many invertebrate predators. Sea stars, urchins, crabs, some worms, amphipods, and snails eat herring eggs. Once the herring have hatched, jellyfish, arrow worms, young squids, and larger zooplankton take their turn on the herring eggs.

In some locations, the larvae of a particular amphipod (Hyperoche medusaruin, a kind of crustacean) feed on herring larvae. They take one large bite out of the herring larval body leaving it to die. When the hatch of this amphipod corresponds in time and place with the herring hatch, the amphipods are capable of nearly wiping out, within a few hours, any herring larvae they encounter! 

Hermit crab, starfish, sea cucumber eating herring eggs

A hermit crab, a rainbow starfish and a California seacucumber feasting on herring eggs. 

Friday, January 24, 2014