THE FUNDAMENTAL STAGES OF THE LIFE CYCLE 

 OF ATLANTIC-SCANDINAVIAN HERRING -^ 

 Yu. Yu. Marti 

 Brief Account of Explorations , Materials , and Methods 



Atlantic-Scandinavian herring were, for many years, the subject of extensive investigations 

 conducted by a number of North European research workers . 



Works by Boek (35), Runnstrom (65, 67) and Sund (72, 76) contain detailed information on 

 the locations and conditions of herring- spawning along the Norwegian coast. Investigations of 

 Schmidt, Jespersen (51), TSning (78-80) completed the data available on herring reproduction in 

 the waters of the Iceland region. As a result of research by Sars (68), Runnstrom (66), Hjort (50) 

 and Lea (56), we have at our disposal detailed information on the existence of young Atlantic- 

 Scandinavian herring in the littoral waters of Norway . 



We possess data on the age composition of the spawning schools of Norwegian herring for 

 a period of over fifty years. 



A number of publications have appeared on the study of growth, sexual maturity, and 

 fertility of Scandinavian herring. 



The systematic position of this race has been determined on the basis of the research 

 carried out by Heincke (48), Johansen (52, 53) and LeGall (57). Research on Atlantic-Scandinavian 

 herring has been invariably carried out in coastal waters . 



After several herring specimens were caught at the beginning of this century in the middle 

 of the Norwegian Sea by the exploration vessel "Mira" (54), Iversen, a Norwegian captain, found 

 large herring in the guts of cod caught in the vicinity of Western Spitsbergen and Jan-Mayen Island. 



On the basis of these observations. Lea (56) drew a scheme for the migrations of Norwegian 

 herring, published in 1929, and of some current interest. The limited data available on migrations 

 of Atlantic-Scandinavian herring prevented us from thoroughly studying their biological peculiar- 

 ities and differences from other races of the Atlantic herring. 



Soviet research has been directed from the very beginning towards exploration of new 

 herring-fishing grounds . Therefore, the study of herring distribution in the sea, their migrations, 

 and concentrations became the main task in our investigations . The remaining problems of 

 herring biology were of secondary importance. As a result of this singleness of purpose, within 

 a relatively short period of time, the Soviet scientists attained considerable knowledge of the 

 Atlantic -Scandinavian herring. 



The main patterns of distribution of young, sexually immature herring in the Barents Sea 

 were estciblished prior to the outbreak of the war . 



During recent years. Polar Institute investigations have been conducted on a still larger 

 scale. Scientists concentrated on the main problem - i.e., study of migrations of adult Atlantic - 



1/ Fisheries Research Board of Canada Translation Series, No. 167. 



