11 



THE SCALES OF THE HERRING AND THEIR 

 VALUE AS AN AID TO INVESTIGATION. 



By ALEXANDER MEEK. 



Investigators are still divided as to the utility of the scales 

 of the herring in determining age and growth. It is not that there 

 is any real disagreement as to the fact that the winter rings are 

 duly recorded, but that in the minds of some the secondary con- 

 centric rings are liable to be confounded with the annual rings, 

 and that because of this the method is not to be depended upon. 

 If the feature of indistinctness be of general occurrence and such 

 as cannot be overcome by experience in manipulation and Hghting, 

 it is evident that the results would be practically worthless. 

 Different workers would arrive at different conclusions, and the 

 same worker might read the same sample with divergent results 

 at successive observations. 



It is important to observe, however, that samples of scales 

 are found which are perfectly clear and consistent, and the pro- 

 portion of these to the total number of the sample of herrings 

 will determine how far the method may be utilised. Many 

 investigators have found that the majority of the samples are 

 of this description, and this has been our experience at Culler- 

 coats. In most cases we have found the winter rings to be quite 

 distinct, and only a few examples have been met with which 

 presented any difficulty. If workers content themselves then 

 ^\'ith the certainties and neglect the others, the method loses Uttle 

 in value. It will still be possible to indicate the growth and the 

 differences in age composition of the samples, and thus to distin- 

 guish the schools. Experience will also lead to a gradual lessening 

 of the percentage of the samples which appear to be doubtful. 



The scales are not merely of value in determining the age of 

 the herring and the age composition of the samples, but as has 

 been shown by Lea and Dahl and their successors the relative 

 distances of the successive winter rings from the centre of the 

 scale allow of the calculation of the size of the herring at the 



