77 

 HERRING INVESTIGATIONS. 



I.— HERRING SHOALS. 



BY B. STORROW. 



The object of the investigations during the past year was 

 to obtain further records of the shoals of herrings extending from 

 Stomoway and the Shetlands in the north to Yarmouth in the south. 

 The age composition of the early summer shoals was shown in 

 the Report of last year to depend largely upon the presence of fish 

 with three winter rings on their scales. Whilst fish of this age 

 were comparatively few in number in the samples from the Shet- 

 lands, it appeared, from the account given of the fishery in the 

 waters about the Shetlands and Orkneys,* that in some years 

 young fish were present in large numbers in shoals to the south 

 of those sampled in 1919. It was thought that a regular and 

 frequent examination of the catches landed at North Shields 

 would indicate the comparative abundance of fish with three 

 winter rings, and from the experience gained in previous years, 

 the examination of the catches as displayed at the sale ring was 

 relied upon to furnish the necessary information. The samples 

 examined were taken, therefore, late in the season of 1920 with 

 the intention of obtaining a record of the autumn spawning shoals. 

 Spring spawning shoals were sampled in 1921, and the investiga- 

 tions were carried into Irish waters in order to ascertain to what 

 extent, if any, the shoals of the north-west of Ireland differed 

 from those of Scottish waters. 



It is due to the kindness of friends in various fishing ports 

 that the sampling of the shoals has been possible. The Fishery 

 Board for Scotland has given help and information whenever 

 recpiested to do so, and the opportunity is here taken of stating 

 that many of the persons who supplied the information about the 

 fishing grounds given in the Report of last year, were officers of 

 the Fishery Board. To the Department of Agriculture and 



* Report, New Series, IX., pp. 14 and 15. 



