176 ADULT HEKEINGS 



exception of the Firth of Forth, the chief spa^Yning grounds for 

 spring spawners are in the waters to the north of Scotland, 

 about the Shetlands, the Orkne3^s, the north coast of Sutherland, 

 the Butt of Lewis, and possibly other localities, not frequently 

 fished, such as Sule Skerry.' 



His conclusions may be right or wrong. It is possible that 

 his unscientific interpreter has misunderstood them ! But 

 right or wrong the value of his work remains. For he has shown 

 that most interesting lines of research can be followed up when 

 Science collaborates with Industry, and that such collaboration 

 reduces the cost to a minimum. Meanwhile he regards his work 

 on the age and growth of fishes as spade work which may one 

 day enable science to tell herring-fishers whether they should 

 expect a good or bad season. He has well earned the gratitude 

 of the whole Herring Industry. 



Scottish Fishermen on the Herring 

 Mr. E. W. H. Brander, of the Scottish Steam Drifters' 

 Association, has kindly suppHed the following information as to 

 the fishermen's herring lore. He writes that fishermen are very 

 emphatic in the information they give, though when cross- 

 examined they can seldom give explanations. 



Baces 

 The Scottish fishermen distinguish two broad races — the 

 Atlantic Herring and the North Sea Herring, the first being 

 found west of the Hebrides and west of the Shetlands and 

 Orkneys, and the latter east of the Shetlands and Orkneys and 

 in the North Sea. They also recognize various local races such 

 as the Loch Fyne Herring and the Minch Herring — the latter 

 a very large fish. They are also convinced that herrings taken 

 in deep waters' off the east coast are generally longer, and 

 coarser grained, and less fat than herrings caught on the 

 shallower banks. 



Shoals 



The ' shoals ' vary in size from a square mile to fifteen square 

 miles. They think that each shoal keeps to its own area, which 

 they put at about 1° of latitude. They are convinced that 

 herrings spawned in our northern waters are never found in the 

 southern portion of the North Sea, and that the southern fish 

 never go north. When a shoal has spawned, they say, it will 

 always be found within the next twenty-four hours about 

 ten miles south-east of the spawning ground. 



The shoals, according to the fishermen, keep to certain 



