1s 
MATURITY. 
Date. lls Wi, WM JAW Wie Vil ville Vallee Rotate 
9th March soe 2 1 — — — — 126 42 il7Ail 
7th June ie 1 127 — — — — — — 128 
An inspection of some herrings when at Yarmouth, Ist July 
of this year, proved the fish to be similar to those of the June 
sample of 1921. 
The autumn fishery at Yarmouth was late, and it was not 
until the third week of October that herrings were caught in any 
great quantity. In this week a great wave of fish invaded the 
East Anglian grounds, and are represented by the sample of 20th 
October. The sample was peculiar in that it contained over 50 
per cent. of fish with three winter rings, and came from a spawning 
shoal, 123 out of 134 herrings being at stage VI.; only five fish 
were at stage IV. or lower. In trade descriptions the herrings 
caught at this time were said to be poor in quality and small fish. 
In the following week another sample was received from fish 
caught 27th October, and Mr. Beazor described them as being the 
best landed up to that time, though far from the usual good 
quality. The sample showed a decrease in the number of young 
fish of three winter rings, and additions to the shoals of the older 
herrings, especially those with five winter rings. These were 
not spawning fish and the gonads were developed as far as stages 
ITI. and IV. only. 
The poor quality of the herrings was a marked feature of the 
fishery, and towards the end of November this showed some 
improvement. The sample of 29th November shows how this 
improvement in quality coincided with the presence of more of 
the older fish on the grounds. Most of the herrings had five, six, 
seven and eight winter rings, and the gonads were at stages LV. 
and V. Fish at the same stages of development were contained 
in the sample of 15th December, practically the end of the season, 
but this sample showed the presence of greater numbers of herrings 
with seven and eight winter rings than obtained in the November 
sample. 
The quality of the Yarmouth herrings improved with the 
movement of older herrings to the fishing grounds, but the herrings 
were never at any time of the season equal in quality to the fish 
expected from the fishery, and have been described as being of 
