CAJSAniAX FISHERIES EXPEDITIOX, 191 ',-15 



169 



This interpretation maj' be expressed in the folluwinff table: 



I have a small quantity of very young herring collected in the tide ripplings in 

 Passamaquoddy bay in June, 1911. Two small lots were picked up in dip nets at an 

 interval of one week. Eleven individuals taken on June 19, range from 3-7 to 4-8 cm. 

 in length, with an average length of 4-4 cm. Twenty-six individuals taken on June 

 20 range from 4-3 to 5-5 cm., with an average length of 4-9 cm. This gives a growth 

 of 0-5 cm. for one week. This is higher than the June rate for group B, but nearly 

 equivalent to the August rate, as shown in fig. 2. A continuance of this rate to 

 September would give fish averaging about 9 cm. These fish must have been spawned 

 in the spring of 1911. The fall spaw^iers which spawn at Grand Manan and on the 

 Nova Scotia shore do not begin until the later part of July. This confirms our inter- 

 pretation of group B as fish spawned in the spring of 1914. 



A comparison of these results with what has been found in Europe with entirely 

 different methods shows a fairly close agreement. By studying the increase in the 

 zone on the scale of the herring outside the last winter ring in a series of samples 

 taken during the years 1910 and 1911 Lea has shown (Publ. de Circonst., No. 61, 1911) 

 that in the herring off Norway, growth takes place during the summer from April to 

 September. This growth period is of the same duration but a month earlier than for 

 our coast. 



As concerns the amount of growth, Lea found it to be 7 cm. in the third summer, 

 which is much higher than what we have found. By calculations based upon the dis- 

 tances between the winter rings, Hjort (Publ. de Circonst., No. 53, 1910, p. 23) found 

 that for 246 spring-spawned fish the average growth in successive years was 8.3, 7.1, 

 5.9, 3.6, 2.4, and 1.7 cm. Our corresponding figures are 8.5, 6.5, 5, 4, and 3 cm. For 

 80 autumn spawned fish he fovind the following amounts 12.6, 5.1, 3.6, 2.6, 1.6, and 

 1.1 cm., believing that the first figure really represented two seasons' growi;h. Our 

 corresponding figures are, 12.5, 5, 4, and 3 cm. The agreement is as close as could be 

 expected, considering the imperfection in our material. We have also not been able 

 to separate the spring spawned from the fall spawned after the second summer. 



It would have been very valuable to have correlated the positions and number of 

 the winter rings with this study of the growth from measurements. In the material 

 examined it has been possible to make out the rings clearly only in a small number of 

 cases. What has been seen on the whole corroborates the above mentioned interpreta- 

 tions as to the ages of the various groups. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



The data, though incomplete, indicate that: (1) there are both spring and fall- 

 spawned young herring (sardines) in the Bay of Fundy; (2) the spring spawned 

 schools reach a length of about 9 cm. (3.5 in.) by the first winter and of about 15 cm. 

 (6 in.) by the second winter; (3) the fall-spawned schools reach a length of about 

 12-5 cm. (4 in.) by the second winter; (4) the growth during the third season is about 

 5 cm. (2 in.) ; (5) the growth during the fourth season is about 4 cm. (1-5 in.) ; and 

 (6) the x>eriod of growth is from May to September. 



It is most desirable that this study be continued in order to either confirm or 

 refute these tentative conchisions and to extend the observations. 



6551—15 



