2 8o Memoir Sears Foundation for Marine Research 



own general distribution and seasonal migration. The first stage, the "sardine," consists 

 of one- and two-year-old fish 45-200 mm long; the second is the "fat" stage, con- 

 sisting of sexually immature fish about two years old, 190— 200 mm long; and the 

 third or "spawn" stage is a mature fish (see also pp. 283, 284). 



Spawning Seasons. Spawning takes place in the spring, summer, or autumn, or 

 in both spring and autumn, depending on the locality. Apparently there is no time in 

 the year when spawning, off Europe at least, does not take place somewhere. On the 

 southern coast of Newfoundland and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, they are spring 

 spawners, commencing in May or even as early as the latter part of April. In the southern 

 and inner part of the Gulf as a whole, the season lasts only a few weeks. But on the 

 south coast of Newfoundland, and perhaps on the west coast as well, spawning may 

 continue until July, and some fish spawn in the Gaspe-Bay of Chaleur region in Sep- 

 tember. To the south, on the Atlantic coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, spawning 

 occurs chiefly in May or June, but also in August and September; and on the outer 

 coast of this province to the south of Halifax, from August through September (g^: 

 405; 60: 10; 83: II, fig. 6). 



The Bay of Fundy once harbored both spring and summer-autumn spawning 

 schools, as did the outer coasts of Nova Scotia (by fishermen's reports); but they seem 

 never to have been numerous; it is doubtful whether any of the spring spawners still 

 exist anywhere south of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. At the mouth of the Bay of Fundy 

 and off the easternmost part of the Maine coast, the heaviest spawning takes place in 

 July-August and September in some years, with spawning continuing late in the fall; 

 but in other years it does not commence until August, to end early in October. Passing 

 westward— southward, the spawning run is progressively later and shorter: from mid- 

 August until October in the general vicinity of Mt. Desert Island; in October along 

 the east coast of Massachusetts (where only a few spawn); and early November near 

 Woods Hole, Massachusetts. 



Off northern Europe, where two principal races are recognized, namely coastal 

 herring and sea herring, the coastal fish spawn mostly in brackish water and princi- 

 pally in the spring months, whereas the sea herring spawn in the open sea over widely 

 distributed times of the year, but mostly in the late summer, autumn, and winter. The 

 spawning periods of the different stocks are so varied that one may find spawning 

 fish somewhere at almost any time of the year (2g'. 362). The Pacific Herring has 

 only one spawning period, which may vary between December and June; the earliest 

 spawning takes place in California and the latest in northern Alaska [ill: l-ji). 



Spawning Grounds and Depths. In northern European waters, as already indicated, 

 at least some fish spawn in shallow inshore brackish water whereas others spawn in the 

 open sea. But in the western side of the Atlantic they are not known to spawn in water 

 less saline than about 3 1.9 "/qq or more saline than about 33 "/oq. In the Gulf of Maine, 

 spawning takes place at temperatures of about 46—55°. For the more northern part 

 of the American range, however, precise information in this regard is lacking. 



Off America, Atlantic Herring spawn in greater or fewer numbers throughout 



