average fcr the past 27 years. Very low 

 catches per unit of effort were evident in 

 Prince William Sound (540 pounds) and in 

 Kodiak (380 pounds). 



Research efforts forming an integral 

 part of the herring program are twofold in 

 nature. Several short-term studies are 

 designed to guide and assist in the imme- 

 diate management of the fishery, whereas the 

 long-term projects seek to isolate the 

 underlying causal factors that determine 

 abundance and fluctuation of herring stocks. 



Annual surveys of the extent of her- 

 ring spawning axe generally indicative of 

 the abundance of adult herring that contri- 

 bute to the spawning. It is supposed that 

 these adults are largely available to the 

 ensuing summer fishery. Herring spawning 

 in 1958 utilized 134 miles cf beach in 

 Southeastern Alaska (figure 36). This com- 

 pcires favorably with the 132 miles recorded 

 in 1957 and the 148 miles in 1956. Spawning 

 occurred 7 to 10 days earlier than usual in 

 all areas of Alaska this year, a fact which 

 may possibly be attributed to the recent 

 general increase in ocean temperatures. 



Collection of age composition, length, 

 and weight data, as well as related s tat is- 



AGE GROUP 



Figure 34. --Age -group percentages, 

 Alaska herring. 



Figure 35. --Southeastern Alasl^a herring 

 fishery catch, boats, and catch 

 per unit of effort. 



tics, must continue each year the herring 

 fishery operates in order to accurately 

 assess the condition of the stocks. In 

 1958 these data were transcribed to machine 

 punch cards in the field through development 

 of a portable IBM card punch. Efforts are 

 continuing to increase the efficiency of 

 this annual program. 



Studies are being conducted on the 

 interrelationship of herring and salmon, 

 particularly the extent that troll-caught 

 salmon are dependent on herring. Prelimi- 

 nary data indicate that in the inside waters 

 of Southeastern Alaska herring occurred in 

 40 percent of the king and 17 percent of 

 the coho salmon stomachs that were collected 

 throughout the summer months. Smelt-like 

 fishes and other forms constituted the re- 

 maining food. The extent cf utilization of 

 herring as food varied greatly with the 

 geographical area. 



The greatest single need for the suc- 

 cessful management of the herring fishery 

 is knowledge of the number and extent of 

 individual herring stocks. Serological 

 (blood) analyses and mathematical studies 

 of bone structure show great promise as 

 methods cf identifying discrete herring 

 races, and much research effort is being 

 devoted to this work. 



To determine migration and the degree 

 to which herring stocks mix, a herring 



25 



