THE HADDOOK PROBLEM 79 



The fry remain at the surface during May, June, and 

 July. 



During this time they drift far away from their spawning 

 grounds, and are, unlike the cod, never found in the southern 

 part of the North Sea, the Channel, the Kattegat, or off the 

 north coast of Norway. But ' Schmidt found in the Atlantic 

 over great depths large fry near the surface ' (Meek). They 

 then go to the bottom at depths of 25 to 50 fathoms. At 

 this time they average 1-18 inch. 



During the first summer they grow very quickly — nearly an 

 inch a month. By September they are 2^ ^ to 4J inches long., 

 and in December (at seven to eleven months old) 5 J to 7J inches. 

 They first begin to be caught on hooks in July when they 'are 

 about 4 inches long, and something less than five months old. 

 During winter of course the growth is much slower.^ Haddock 

 less than 9 inches seldom occur in the south of the North Sea. 

 Heincke considers that maturity is reached after the third 

 year. 



In some years American spawn-takers find comparatively 

 few ' ripe ' haddock on the grounds. Thus in 1913 the Booth- 

 bay spawn-takers collected 100 million eggs ; next year on the 

 same grounds they obtained only six million eggs of ' poor 

 quality ' ; in 1915 they collected 3 J million also of ' poor 

 quality ' ; in 1916 (February) ' there was an entire absence 

 of haddock in spawning condition' ; on other grounds, however, 

 the Gloucester fishermen found plenty of ripe fish. But the 

 variations were enormous from year to year. Is there here 

 a possible clue to fluctuations in the haddock catch this side 

 of the Atlantic ? ^ 



The peculiarity of the haddock is that it spends nearly all 

 its life in comparatively deep water ; 40 per cent, of the 

 North Sea catch, for instance, is caught at 20 to 30 fathoms ; ^ 

 20 per cent, at 10 to 20 fathoms (chiefly on the Dogger) ; 

 18 per cent, at 30 to 40 fathoms and 14 per cent, at 50 to 100 

 fathoms. But (unlike other species) the fry do not come 

 inshore inside the 10-fathom line. The older fish move about 

 in shoals of haddock more or less of the same age and size. 

 It is conjectured that there is a general southerly movement 

 to the southward in summer, and a return to the northward 



^ Fulton. - Heincke. 



^ See below, Hjort's observations on the universal shortage of haddock fry 

 in 1902 and 1903. 



■* In 1913 English vessels landed 16,200 tons from the northern grounds of 

 the North Sea, 9,000 tons from south of the Tees-Skaw line, and 8,200 tons 

 from grounds which were not distinguished. 



