When the Herring Arrive: Spring Comes Alive in Sitka

Herring on the Surge

Pacific herring are swept ashore by breaking waves along the Sitka shoreline, part of the annual spawn that fuels one of Southeast Alaska’s most important marine feeding events.

Each spring in March, something remarkable happens in the waters surrounding Sitka. Long before calendars catch up, the Pacific herring arrive—and with them comes one of Southeast Alaska’s most powerful and awe-inspiring natural events. The return of herring signals the true beginning of spring, setting off a chain reaction that draws wildlife, fishermen, and wide-eyed onlookers from near and far.

Herring are small fish, but their impact is enormous. When they spawn in Sitka Sound, the water can turn milky turquoise as billions of eggs coat kelp and shoreline rocks. That sudden abundance transforms the Sound into a buffet, and the response from wildlife is immediate.

The Offering

A wave breaks hard along the Kruzof shoreline, herring caught in the surge—fuel for eagles, whales, and everything that waits for spring to arrive.

Humpback whales gather in numbers rarely seen elsewhere. It’s not uncommon to watch dozens spread across the Sound, working together and independently to capitalize on the feast. Bubble-net feeding erupts around the boat—curtains of bubbles rise, followed by explosive lunges as whales burst through the surface, mouths agape. Some roll lazily between feeds, others breach in full-body arcs that send shockwaves across the water. The air fills with the sound of exhalations, the sea alive with motion.

Closer to shore, along the rugged coastline of Kruzof Island, gray whales often appear, lingering in the shallows. These encounters can feel intimate—playful, curious whales surfacing near the boat, moving parallel to the shoreline in calm, deliberate passes. It’s a reminder that spring doesn’t just bring abundance offshore; it reshapes the entire coastline.

Still young and full of curiosity, “Action Jackson” surfaces beside the boat for a closer look—one of those rare, quiet moments when a humpback chooses the encounter during Sitka’s spring herring season.

Above it all, bald eagles gather in staggering numbers. They pluck herring straight from the water, line the shoreline, and descend on tide pools where eggs and fish wash ashore. Gulls fill the sky, swooping and squabbling near the fishing fleet, grabbing the herring that slip free of the nets. Offshore, massive rafts of sea lions crowd together, barking and diving in coordinated chaos as they compete for the same resource.

Right on Cue

A bald eagle lifts a Pacific herring from the water, taking advantage of the brief surge of abundance that arrives with Sitka’s annual herring spawn.

This convergence isn’t just about wildlife. The herring spawn also brings fishermen into the Sound, boats working in tight formations, and people lining the shoreline—locals, visitors, artists, and photographers—all drawn to witness something ancient and fleeting. For a brief window, Sitka becomes a meeting place where ocean, forest, wildlife, and community intersect.

Shared Waters

Humpback whales feed in the foreground while the Sitka herring fleet works the Sound behind them—a fleeting moment where wildlife and fishermen converge during the spring spawn.

For photographers like myself, it’s one of the most electric times of year. The light changes. The animals arrive. The stories unfold fast, layered and unpredictable. No two days are the same, and no image ever fully captures the scale of what’s happening—but each frame becomes a small record of a much larger rhythm.

The Pacific herring may be small, but their arrival breathes life back into Sitka Sound. Whales feed, birds gather, the water hums with energy, and Southeast Alaska turns the page into spring. If there is a season that defines Sitka, this is it.

Multiple humpback whales engage in coordinated bubble-net feeding in Sitka Sound, taking advantage of dense herring schools drawn in by the spring spawn. This behavior highlights the intelligence and cooperation of humpbacks during peak feeding season.