The tasty silvery fish are at water’s edge in Conception Bay today.
Pat Morrissey and Kevin Rumsey got their couple of buckets in pretty short order. The fish are not exactly rolling—more like floating in—but they are easily accessible.
People were gathered at the beach on recent evenings, as you can still see the remnants of bonfires.
Both Morrissey and Rumsey say the fish are small again this year, and that they are about a week behind last year’s arrival.
They recall the days when capelin would roll in late May and the first half of June, which was great for farmers who would be able to use them for manure. That is no longer the case.
In any event, the seagulls are treating themselves to a buffet on the beach.
DFO Seeking Reports of Capelin
If you’ve seen capelin rolling, then DFO wants to hear from you.
Hannah Murphy, a research scientist with DFO, specializes in capelin and herring. She says surefire signs that the capelin are in, are noticing other animals that chase the fish inshore.
They include increased whale activity, an abundance of sea birds and even cod coming inshore.
DFO is asking people to tweet at them using the hashtag #CapelinRoll2019
.@cjreid65, great video of #capelinroll2019! https://t.co/mGIOGdXI0y
— DFO_NL (@DFO_NL) July 10, 2019