22 



Maturity. — Samples 1 and 2 were examined at North Shields 

 in a curmg house belongmg to Mr. David Miller, and no data as 

 to maturity were ob tamed. The various stages of maturity reached 

 by the fish of sample 3 were as follows : — 



During August, September, and to the 9th of October, 

 quantities of haddocks, gorged with herring eggs, were landed at 

 North Shields from an area between the Longstone and the North 

 East Bank, and bounded by 55° 32', 55° 47' N., and 0° 33', r 24' 

 W. In some of the haddocks examined on 24th September, the 

 herring eggs were well developed and not far from hatching. On 

 the 4th and 5th of October, and from the same area, large full 

 herrings were landed. They were larger in size than the ordinary 

 catches landed at the port, and the roe and milt were running. 

 It was impossible to obtain a sample of these, but a small number 

 taken indiscrimmately were measured, and varied m length from 

 28 to 31 cm. 'Mr. Richard Dawson, of Seahouses, has uiformed 

 me that from the 21st to the 28th of August similar fish were landed 

 at Seahouses. 



The long period durmg which spawnmg herrmgs were off 

 the northern part of the Northumberland coast is of interest, 

 especially from its connexion -^ith the herring fishing of previous 

 years, when herrings were caught in Berwick Bay and Craster 

 Smooth, as well as off the Longstone. In Craster Smooth herrings 

 were caught in from 9 to 22 fathoms from Dunstanburgh — some- 

 times almost from Beadnell — to Boulmer. 



At the time when these grounds were fished, it would appear 

 from mformation obtained from fishermen and merchants along 

 the coast that the chief fishing started at the beginnmg of August, 

 or at the earliest towards the end of July, and was continued into 

 September. The fish were ten inches or more long in August, 

 and towards the end of the season from eight to nine inches. The 

 August herrings, the largest of which were got from north-east 



