FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ATTRACTION OF ATLANTIC HERRING, 

 CLUPEA HARENGUS HARENGUS, TO ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS 



BY ALDEN P. STICKNEY, FISHERY BIOLOGIST 



BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY 



W. BOOTHBAY HARBOR, MAINE 04575 



ABSTRACT 



Using artificial lights to attract flsh at nigijt is a com- 

 mon and often effective flsiiing technique. With Atlantic 

 herring the attraction is somewhat uncertain, however, 

 and does not always take place. This paper describes 

 experiments which showed that, in addition to the in- 

 herent variability of the fish themselves, certain exter- 

 nal conditions can modify the attraction to the light. 

 Attraction was greater at low than at high tempera- 

 tures, greater with underwater lights than with lights 

 above the surface, and greater when the fish were previ- 

 ously adapted to light than when they were adapted to 

 darkness. Very bright light (illumination 20-600 lux). 



The use of artificial lights for attracting fish is 

 a common practice in fisheries throughout the 

 world. The methods have changed but little, how- 

 ever, the chief improvement being the substitution 

 of electric light sources for open flames or fuel- 

 burning lamps. 



The attraction of Atlantic herring (Clupea 

 harenguH Mrengus) witli lights has been studied 

 experimentally and adapted to some extent for 

 commercial fishing. Lights have been used rou- 

 tinely on Norwegian purse seiners for many yeai's 

 to attract herring. According to Dragesund 

 (1958), herring are not always attracted to lights, 

 however, and even the fishermen do notagi-ee about 

 the behavior of herring in response to the lights 

 used on seiners. Dragesund studied the behavior of 

 fish schools from a research vessel and distin- 

 guished the following kinds of reaction to the 

 attracting light: 



1. Fish descend and pack together. 



2. Fish disperse. 



3. Fish rise toward light, then shortly de- 

 scend. 



4. Fish pack together, then rise toward the 

 light. 



Blaxter and Parrish (1958) were able to attract 

 young lierring (5-25 cm.) to underwater lights at 



Published September 1969. 



especially above the surface, tended to repel the fish. 

 Light of intermediate intensity (illumination 1-30 lux) 

 was most effective. 



The behavioral responses comprised an initial attrac- 

 tion resembling positive phototaxis, followed by ap- 

 parent disorientation, or confusion. The disorientation 

 may have been due to attempts by the fish to respond 

 with a dorsal light reaction, i.e. to assume postures 

 which would orient their dorsal surface toward the light 

 source even when such postures interfered with normal 

 swimming. 



several levels of brightness and to bring them to 

 the surface by raising the lights. Tibbo (1965) re- 

 ported that herring in a large tank were attracted 

 to artificial lights of various intensities and colors, 

 although they were repelled at the highest inten- 

 sities. Gauthier (in press), collaborating with 

 fishermen on a commercial purse seiner, reported 

 catches of herring of 25 to 40 tons in trials with 

 underwater lights in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 



Lights were used traditionally along the At- 

 lantic Coast of North America for catching juve- 

 nile herring by "torching," a method probably 

 adopted from the Indians. A kerosene- or gasoline- 

 burning flare, or even a more primitive torch of 

 combustible material on a stick, was mounted on 

 the bow of a small boat. The procedure has been 

 described by Earll (1887) as follows. "The fisher- 

 men usually go to the shore late in the afternoon 

 and time their departure so as to reach the fishing 

 grounds shortly after sunset. As soon as it be- 

 comes sufficiently dark, the fire is lighted, one man 

 takes his jiosition in the stern to steer the boat and 

 another stations himself in the bow, armed with a 

 dip-net for securing the fish as they gather in lit- 

 tle bunches just in front of the light. The remain- 

 ing members of the crew row the boat rapidly 

 through the water, while the man in the bow is 

 busily engaged in throwing the fish into the boat 



FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 68, NO. 1 



73 



