1915] ON CLureA PALLASII CUVIER AND VALENCIENNES 97 
ON CLUPEA PALLASII CUVIER AND VALENCIENNES 
By C. McLEAN FRASER, PuH.D., 
Curator of the Marine Biological Station, Nanaimo, B.C. 
Plates VIII and IX 
SPAWNING HABITS 
The points of resemblance in the Pacific herring (Clupea pallasit) 
and the Atlantic herring (C. harengus) are more noticeable than the 
points of difference, but although this is so, the points of difference 
are of sufficient importance to make interesting a special study of the 
life-history of the Pacific species. Even if there were not such differ- 
ences it would be worth while, as there is so much unknown or in dispute 
in reference to the Atlantic species. 
Judging from the description given in Jordan and Evermann,! 
-one should expect to find the Pacific herring larger than the Altantic, 
but that does not seem to be the case in any herring of the Pacific Coast, 
with the possible exception of those around the shores of Northwestern 
Alaska. The Atlantic herring is said to be 16 inches in length, while 
the length of the Pacific herring is given as 18 inches. 16 inches may be 
a good length for an Atlantic herring, but certainly 18 inches is decidedly 
wide of the mark as a measurement of the herring that are fished now- 
a-days in the Strait of Georgia. Measurements of several hundreds 
of fish have been taken, and these have been collected from thousands 
of tons of fish, but no fish was obtained with a greater length than Io 
inches, measured from the tip of the nose, or rather the lower jaw, to 
the beginning of the rays in the caudal fin. To be exact, the greatest 
length was 24.6 cm. or 9.8 inches. The average length was about 20 cm. 
or 8 in. The average of 80 females taken at various times throughout 
the year was 20.3 cm. while the average of the same number of males 
under similar conditions was 19.7 cm. The females averaged 106.2 
grams (3.8 oz.) and the males 94.4 grams (3.4 oz.). These were caught 
with the seine and consequently included some that were quite small 
(as short as 15 cm.), but they would come very nearly being the average 
of the total catch of the season from this district. 
1 Fishes of North and Middle America.” Bulletin 47, U.S. National Museum, 
1896, pp. 421-2. 
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