[1] The film tells the story of the fishing trawler Western Girl, and her captain and crew.
Western Girl is typical of the ships that fished the coastal waters of British Columbia, and Herring Hunt follows the skipper and his men in their race to get their catch before the quota is taken and the fishing area closed for the season.
We see the cooperation necessary in a job that's extremely hard work and full of risk; there is big money to be made in herring when the catch is good, but the cash outlay required is equally large and one man's error can lead to a heavy loss for the boat's owner.
The films in this series had larger budgets than most, and some of the documentaries included dramatization.
Herring Hunt is one such documentary; the skipper is played by the actor Bruno Gerussi.