226 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



With respect to tlie time of spawning, the herring may be divided 

 into two groups, one spawning in the spring, in April, May, and June, 

 and the other between July and December. The spring spawning 

 occurs entirely east of Eastport, Maine, and the fall spawning princi- 

 pally, but not altogether, west of that place. Probably the greatest 

 spawning grounds south of the Cxulf of St. Lawrence are at Grand 

 Manan, where the eggs are deposited principally in July, August, and 

 September. Thence the season becomes progressively later westward, 

 on the coast of Maine occurring between September 1 and October 15; 

 on the eastern coast of Massachusetts, between October 1 and Novem- 

 ber 1, and south of Cape Cod from October 15 to December 1. 



The female herring of average size deposits between 20,000 and 47,000 

 eggs at a spawning, the usual number being not far from 30,000. The 

 eggs are deposited ui)on the bottom, and, being covered with a glutinous 

 material which soon hardens in contact with the water, they become 

 firmly attached to extraneous materials, to which they often adhere in 

 masses as large as a walnut. The egg measures about ^4 inch in 

 diameter, and is usually polyhedral from mutual i^ressure exerted by the 

 eggs in masses. 



The commercial value of the sea herring is almost incalculable. It is 

 undoubtedly the most important of food-fishes, although in the United 

 States it is exceeded in economic value by many marine and fresh-water 

 species. Some time ago the annual yield of the world was estimated 

 at 3,000,000,000 herring, weighing 1,500,000,000 pounds, the princi])al 

 part of which was taken in ISTorway. In the New England States the 

 annual catch is about 55,000,000 pounds, with a first value of 1350,000. 

 The fish is taken chiefly with seines and weirs, and about tive-sevenths 

 of the yield is obtained on the coast of Maine. The market value of 

 the output is greatly enhanced by the salting, smoking, and canning 

 processes to which a large part of the catch is subjected. In Maine the 

 canning of young herring as sardines is a very important industry. 

 Fresh herring are used chiefly for bait in the line fisheries for cod and 

 other "ground fish." 



Experiments in the artificial propagation of the herring have been 

 conducted both in this country and in Europe, but owing to the great 

 abundance of the species the work has not been carried beyond this 

 experimental stage. In the United States there has as yet been no 

 permanent diminution of the supply that renders the cultivation of the 

 species necessary, notwithstanding an extremely large fishery and the 

 sacrifice of enormous quantities of very small fish. 



The first successful attempt to propagate this fish was in 1878, in 

 Germany, when elaborate experiments were made. In the same year 

 the artificial hatching of the species was accomi)lished by the United 

 States Fish Commission. The eggs, owing to their cohesion into masses, 

 showed a tendency to molding, but this difficulty could doubtless be 

 obviated by the use of starch, as with other cohesive eggs. 



