59 



B. — Size, Age, Growth and Maturity. 



By B. STORROW. 



The main object of the investigations during the summer and 

 autumn of 1913 was to see it there was any difference between the 

 herrings raptured by the two methods of fishing, the drift net and 

 trawl. That there are differences is evident, but it cannot be said 

 that the particulars relating to size, age, growth and maturity show 

 as marked a difference between the two classes of trawled herring, 

 those from the vicinity of the Dogger Bank and the Yorkshire coast, 

 as is found between the drift net and trawled herrings or between 

 the two classes of trawled herrings as is revealed by a consideration 

 of the measurements made. 



A complete examination of the data has not been possible 

 owing to the undertaking of further herring investigations at the 

 request of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, but as much as 

 it has been possible to do in the time is here given. 



Samples. — Samples of drift net herrings were obtained from 

 North Sunderland in June, July and August, and in August and 

 September from North Shields. These were ordinary commercial 

 samples of the catches landed and taken without any sorting, and 

 may be considered as representative of the herrings caught by the 

 drift nets. 



The classifying of the trawled herrings into the trade categories 

 of large, medium and small made it more difficult to obtain a true 

 sample of the fish landed, but the practice of first ascertaining from 

 the skipper of the trawler the number of crans of each category 

 contained in his catch, and taking various proportions of the samples 

 from each class has probably overcome this difficulty to a large 

 extent. It cannot be said with certainty that this method gave a 

 true sample of the herrings caught, for the small brought poor prices 

 and were not always brought to port. Evidence of the small 

 herrings being thrown overboard was difficult to obtain owing to 

 the feeling existing between those interested in the different methods 

 of fishing. 



