82 



age of this year class which was found in the Yarmouth samples 

 of 1919 and the samples from spring spawning shoals in 1920. 



The sample from Wick, 24th August, consisted chiefly of 

 spent fish, and only 15 out of a total of 189 were at or below stage 

 IV. It would appear from this that the sample can be taken as 

 representing the herrings spawning off Wick. The numbers 

 under different ages point to the sample containing herrings which 

 had developed in the summer feeding shoals and also older fish 

 which had invaded the grounds for the purpose of spawning. It 

 is worthy of notice that this sample, like the August sample from 

 Lerwick, had a small percentage of fish with five winter rings. 



The number of fish which had not developed to stage IV. 

 or beyond in the sample from Peterhead, 25th August, makes it 

 impossible to regard this sample as representing the autumn 

 spawning shoals. In addition, 10 per cent, of the sample was 

 composed of recovering spents, and since there is a scattering 

 of the shoals after spawning these herrings may have spawned 

 on grounds some considerable distance from where they were 

 caught. Of fish with two winter rings there was 28 per cent., 

 and this is a much higher percentage than was found in any of 

 the samples from Peterhead in 1919. Attention was drawn in 

 the Report of last year to the variation in age at which herrings 

 reach maturity, and in this connexion the following data from the 

 Peterhead sample are worthy of notice : — 



Mr. Beazor was unable to obtain any sample of spawning 

 fish from the Yarmouth shoals during the East Anglian herring 

 harvest. Occasionally catches of spawning fish are landed during 

 this fishery, but the bulk of the herrings caught are full or filling 

 fish which, doubtless, become spring spawners. The sample of 

 17th November represents the Yarmouth fishery of that date, 

 and is of value as indicating that the shortage of fish with four 

 winter rings found in the sample of 1919 was a real shortage and 

 not due to accidental sampling. For purposes of comparison 

 the age composition of the samples of 1919, 1920 and 1921 is here 

 given : — - 



