RATE OF GROWTH OF SOME SEA FISHES. 



251 



The character of the fishery, what Pouchet calls the regime, varies 

 to a certain degree from year to year ; but in the several places 

 named, such as Quiberon, Kernevel, Concarneau, Douarnenez, there 

 is considerable similarity in the came year. The size of the fish 

 taken in different years at the same month varies, but usually the 

 number to the box is ten to fourteen in July, and seven to eight 

 in October. But the fishing begins in June, or the end of May, 

 and the fish taken in these months is usually larger than that taken 

 in July, giving only seven to nine to the box. The smaller fish 

 which usually appears in July is called the jjoisson de Juillet. In 

 some years the diminution in July is not observable, the fish gradu- 

 ally increasing in size from the beginning to the end of the season, 

 and appearing to grow in size ou the fishing ground. In other 

 years again, for instance in 1887, extremely small fish, twenty to 

 twenty-six to the box, made their appearance in September and 

 October on the whole coast, with the exception of the Bay of Douar- 

 nenez, into which they did not peneti^ate. 



I reproduce here the table of relations between the number of 

 fish to the box and the weight of the single fish, as given by 

 Pouchet, with an additional column showing approximately the corre- 

 sponding length of the fish. 



Corresponding 

 length of sardine. 



10-0 cm. 



10-5 „ 



11-3 „ 



11-5 „ 



12-0 „ 



12-5 „ 



12-8 „ 



130 „ 



13-4 „ 



13-7 „ 



140 „ 



14-5 „ 



150 „ 



15-5 „ 



16-2 „ 



17-0 „ 



21-4 „ 



With these relations may be compared the actual lengths and 



would weigh twice as much, or 250 grammes nearly. Therefore if we divide 250 by the 

 number of fish to a box we get the average weight of a single fresh fish. For instance, 

 12 to a box means fish each of which weighs 20'8 grammes. Again, Pouchet gives a curve 

 of the relation between the weight and length of the sardine based upon actual observa- 

 tions, and from this we find that a weight of 20'8 grammes correspond to a length of 

 about 13"6 cm., a result which agrees with my own observations. 



