FISHEEIES AND SEAL-HUNTING. 37 



" peliad," (Coregonus peled. Pall.,) " tchir," (Coregonus nasutus, Pall.,) 

 " oinoul," (Coregonus omul,) and u saourei," (Coregonus vimba,) species 

 of white-fish. 



Of all these kinds of fish, those forming the largest article of com- 

 merce are the herring, the salmon, aud the cod; then follow the 

 "navaga," the "sterliad," and the "minoga." The fish are exported 

 to the districts of Vologda, Viatka, Yaroslaw, Moscow, Olonets, St. 

 Petersburg, and to the several districts of the province of Archangel. 



1. — THE HERRING. 



The species Glupea liarengus is found in the White Sea only, and is 

 divided into a large and a small kind. The former is caught especially 

 on the southwest shore in the bay of Kaudalakcha, near the convent of 

 Solovetsk, and near the village of Pongama, and more rarely near the 

 city of Kem and on the northwest shore of the bay of Kaudalakcha. 

 The small herring usually attains the length ot from G to 7£ inches ; 

 and a thousand weigh about two " pouds 1 ' and a half, (90 pounds.) These 

 herring come up in large numbers from the depth of the sea in the 

 beginning of November, and make for the bays, especially the bay of 

 Soroka, where the inhabitants of the coast villages always catch them 

 in great abundance. 



Herrings leave the deep sea only during the spawning season, in 

 order to reach the more shallow bays, and the fishermen call them by 

 different names, according to the time when they make their appearance. 

 The herring of St. George (appearing about the time of that saint's day) 

 has perfectly matured roe, and spawns in April. Two hundred and 

 fifty of these fish weigh only one "pond," (36 pounds.) It requires, on the 

 other hand, only from 80 to 120 herring of St. John to make the same 

 weight, and these have most of the time roe and milt. The autumn 

 herring are the fattest, but have neither roe nor milt. 



Organization of the herring-fisheries. — It is a rule very generally ob- 

 served that the interests of a whole community shall not be injured 

 by the preponderating influence of private individuals, and that the per- 

 sonal rights of every fisherman shall be protected. To insure this, vari- 

 ous measures are taken, varying according to local conditions. For in- 

 stance, in the villages of Kaudalakcha, Kovda, and Kniajno'i, the herring- 

 fishery is organized in the following manner : the places near these vil- 

 lages where the fisheries are most productive being known, the entire 

 community goes there, aud the result of the common labor is divided 

 among the fishermen in proportion to the number of male inhabitants 

 of each village. 



This proportion is calculated in the following mauner : At first, the 

 number of fishermen is determined, aud then the number of inhabitants 

 obliged to furnish one fisherman. In counting one fisherman to three 

 inhabitants, a family composed of three members must furnish one ; a fam- 

 ily of six members, two ; aud so on. Families having only two members 



