24 



rings were found in higher numbers. These conditions are similar 

 to those which obtained in 1916, except that in 1916 the 

 area in which segregation took place was of greater extent, and 

 the herrings were older and the evidence of segregation disappeared 

 in the latter part of July with the immigration of older herrings. 

 The age composition of the samples of trawled herrings from 

 the Dogger Bank and off the Yorkshire coast has been shown in 

 previous reports to differ from that of the Northumberland Coast 

 herring in that every year the samples contained older fish, and 

 different year classes predominated. 



Spawning. — During the period of our investigations there 

 has been little evidence of spawning to any extent in the waters 

 of the district, and most of the evidence we have has been obtained 

 from haddocks which have been feeding on herring eggs. No 

 sample of spawning fish has been examined, and the sample con- 

 taining most mature fish came from 12 miles east of Craster, 26th 

 August, 1916, and had about 25 per cent, of full fish ready for 

 spawning.* Since 19i5, we have received reports of the presence 

 of full fish, larger and more developed than the general run of 

 the herrings landed at the ports in the latter part of August, and 

 occasionally records of spent fish have been received. On the 

 4th and 5th of October, 1915, large ripe fish, the roe and milt 

 running, were landed at North Shields, but not in any great 

 quantity. " Spawn}^ " haddocks have been landed by trawlers 

 in the latter part of August and in September, and records of .their 

 place of capture have been given in previous reports. 



Although evidence of full and spaA\aiing fish has been more 

 plentiful since 1915, we have no evidence to show that our coast 

 has been a spa^vning ground to anything like the extent as would 

 appear to be the case some tw^enty years ago when the shoals of 

 Berwick Bay, the Longstone, and Craster Smooth provided the 

 chief fishing of the district. Fishing for herrings then began in 

 August, at the earliest towards the end of July, and was continued 

 into September. The herrings passed from mature to spents 

 towards the end of August, and were replaced by a shoal of smaller 

 but full herrings. Berwick Bay and Craster Smooth yielded 

 hemngs about ten inches in length, which is about the average 



* Report, New Series, VI., page 11. 



