Open Collections

Abstract

False Creek, located in the heart of Vancouver, is a portion of the Burrard Inlet that was once a rich and productive coastal ecosystem. In the 20th century, it was dredged and converted into an industrial area, and subsequently became heavily polluted and devoid of wildlife, including marine life. The area was then converted to a residential area in the early 2000s, and there has been a rising interest in the ecological restoration of False Creek necessitated by climate change. One facet of this ecological restoration includes turning False Creek back into a viable spawning ground for Pacific Herring, a critical species for B.C.’s marine ecosystems. Recent work done by the Squamish Streamkeepers, the City of Vancouver, CityStudio Vancouver, and other organizations are working to restore False Creek and have been successfully supporting Pacific Herring to spawn in the area. The Squamish Streamkeepers achieved this by deploying spawning nets in False Creek, which act as a safe, non-toxic substrate for Pacific Herring to spawn and develop. Student groups at UBC, specifically through the course ENVR 400, also deploy nets in False Creek and investigate the factors that do and do not allow Pacific Herring to successfully spawn there as well as quantify egg density. Our group continued this work during the 2022 spawning season and contributed to ongoing ecological restoration efforts, with the broader goal of enhancing ecosystem services in False Creek and specifically focusing on herring. This report asserts that understanding the abiotic conditions under which herring spawn may help maximize herring egg-laying in False Creek in the future, therefore enhancing herring population sizes and increasing the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of False Creek. This report summarizes work we have done over the past 8 months to improve our understanding of the False Creek herring population.