CAyADIAX FISn FRIES EXPEDITION, lOl'rlo 



121 



With regard to the younger fish, it is not so easy to arrive at definite conclusions 

 on the basis of the material available; it is always, moreover, a far more difficult task 

 to ascertain the relative strength of the different year-classes among immature 

 herring. 



Nevertheless, a glance at tables 6 and 7 will immediately reveal the fact that only 

 a few specimens of the year 1912 year-class were tiiken, whereas the 1911 and 1913 

 year-classes were particularly well represented. 



Table 7. — Showing age distribution in samples where young and immature fish 



predominate. 



h. The waters about Magdalen Islands. 



From this area, we have a gill-net sample taken in May, 1914, one from May, 

 1915, and further a very small sample (which is of no value in this connection), with 

 finally, one from a drift-net haul made by Xo. SS about end of July. 1915 (station 49). 

 It will be as well to deal with this last sample first, as an examination of the scales 

 here shows that the younger fish (4- and 5-year-olds) therein contained, had doubtless 

 commenced a new summer's growth but had made only very slight progress therewith 

 the new summer zone appearing in most eases as a very narrow belt outside the 

 broader zones for the previous years. This would seem to indicate that the summer 

 growth in these waters begins late, as is also the case farther to the west and south. 

 In the case of the two samples from May, 1914, and 1915, therefore, we may take it 

 that the last summer zone on the scales represents the summer previous to the year of 

 capture. For the older fish, however, in the July sample mentioned, it will be a matter 

 of doubt whether these have commenced their new summer growth or not. In table 

 8, therefore, only the two youngest age-groups have been assigned to year-classes, the 

 headings for the older groups indicating only the number of rings on the scales. 



Table 8. — Age distribution in samples from station 49, 70 specimens. Year-class noted 



only for the youngest fish. 



Age-groups 



Year-groups. 



6551—12 



