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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  With 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  spawning, 
  the 
  herring 
  may 
  be 
  divided 
  

   into 
  two 
  groups, 
  one 
  spawning 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  in 
  April, 
  May, 
  and 
  June, 
  

   and 
  the 
  other 
  between 
  July 
  and 
  December. 
  The 
  spring 
  spawning 
  

   occurs 
  entirely 
  east 
  of 
  Eastport, 
  Maine, 
  and 
  the 
  fall 
  spawning 
  princi- 
  

   pally, 
  but 
  not 
  altogether, 
  west 
  of 
  that 
  place. 
  Probably 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   spawning 
  grounds 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  are 
  at 
  Grand 
  

   Manan, 
  where 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  principally 
  in 
  July, 
  August, 
  and 
  

   September. 
  Thence 
  the 
  season 
  becomes 
  progressively 
  later 
  westward, 
  

   on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Maine 
  occurring 
  between 
  September 
  1 
  and 
  October 
  15; 
  

   on 
  the 
  eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  Massachusetts, 
  between 
  October 
  1 
  and 
  Novem- 
  

   ber 
  1, 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  Cape 
  Cod 
  from 
  October 
  15 
  to 
  December 
  1. 
  

  

  The 
  female 
  herring 
  of 
  average 
  size 
  deposits 
  between 
  20,000 
  and 
  47,000 
  

   eggs 
  at 
  a 
  spawning, 
  the 
  usual 
  number 
  being 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  30,000. 
  The 
  

   eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  upon 
  the 
  bottom, 
  and, 
  being 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  glutinous 
  

   material 
  which 
  soon 
  hardens 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  water, 
  they 
  become 
  

   firmly 
  attached 
  to 
  extraneous 
  materials, 
  to 
  which 
  t 
  hey 
  often 
  adhere 
  in 
  

   masses 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  a 
  walnut. 
  The 
  egg 
  measures 
  about 
  oV 
  inch 
  in 
  

   diameter, 
  and 
  is 
  usually 
  polyhedral 
  from 
  mutual 
  pressure 
  exerted 
  by 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  in 
  masses. 
  

  

  The 
  commercial 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  herring 
  is 
  almost 
  incalculable. 
  It 
  is 
  

   undoubtedly 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  food-fishes, 
  although 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  it 
  is 
  exceeded 
  in 
  economic 
  value 
  by 
  many 
  marine 
  and 
  fresh-water 
  

   species. 
  Some 
  time 
  ago 
  the 
  annual 
  yield 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  was 
  estimated 
  

   at 
  3,000,000,000 
  herring, 
  weighing 
  1,500,000,000 
  pounds, 
  the 
  princijjal 
  

   part 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  taken 
  in 
  Norway. 
  In 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  States 
  the 
  

   annual 
  catch 
  is 
  about 
  55,000,000 
  pounds, 
  with 
  a 
  first 
  value 
  of 
  $350,000. 
  

   The 
  fish 
  is 
  taken 
  chiefly 
  with 
  seines 
  and 
  weirs, 
  and 
  about 
  five-sevenths 
  

   of 
  the 
  yield 
  is 
  obtained 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Maine. 
  The 
  market 
  value 
  of 
  

   the 
  output 
  is 
  greatly 
  enhanced 
  by 
  the 
  salting, 
  smoking, 
  and 
  canning 
  

   processes 
  to 
  which 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  subjected. 
  In 
  Maine 
  the 
  

   canning 
  of 
  young 
  herring 
  as 
  sardines 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  important 
  industry. 
  

   Fresh 
  herring 
  are 
  used 
  chiefly 
  for 
  bait 
  in 
  the 
  line 
  fisheries 
  for 
  cod 
  and 
  

   other 
  "ground 
  fish." 
  

  

  Experiments 
  in 
  the 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  have 
  been 
  

   conducted 
  both 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  and 
  in 
  Europe, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  the 
  work 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  carried 
  beyond 
  this 
  

   experimental 
  stage. 
  In 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  there 
  has 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  no 
  

   permanent 
  diminution 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  that 
  renders 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  

   species 
  necessary, 
  notwithstanding 
  an 
  extremely 
  large 
  fishery 
  and 
  the 
  

   sacrifice 
  of 
  enormous 
  quantities 
  of 
  very 
  small 
  fish. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  successful 
  attempt 
  to 
  propagate 
  this 
  fish 
  was 
  in 
  1878, 
  in 
  

   Germany, 
  when 
  elaborate 
  experiments 
  were 
  made. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  year 
  

   the 
  artificial 
  hatching 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  was 
  accomplished 
  by 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  Fish 
  Commission. 
  The 
  eggs, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  cohesion 
  into 
  masses, 
  

   showed 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  molding, 
  but 
  this 
  difficulty 
  could 
  doubtless 
  be 
  

   obviated 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  starch, 
  as 
  with 
  other 
  cohesive 
  eggs. 
  

  

  