﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  NORTHEAST 
  COAST. 
  397 
  

  

  riecl 
  iu 
  by 
  the 
  converging 
  aud 
  coutlicting 
  currents, 
  and 
  the 
  herrings 
  

   there 
  find 
  a 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  food 
  requiring 
  a 
  minimum 
  of 
  effort 
  in 
  its 
  

   capture. 
  

  

  In 
  watching 
  herring 
  feeding 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  any 
  

   evidence 
  that 
  they 
  keep 
  facing 
  the 
  current; 
  they 
  attack 
  their 
  prey 
  from 
  

   all 
  sides. 
  If 
  this 
  be 
  drifting 
  with 
  the 
  current 
  then 
  the 
  fish 
  also 
  drift 
  

   with 
  the 
  current; 
  if 
  it 
  be 
  stemming 
  the 
  tide 
  the 
  fish 
  follow 
  it 
  up, 
  their 
  

   aim 
  iu 
  either 
  case 
  being 
  to 
  Iceep 
  with 
  their 
  food 
  supply. 
  

  

  What 
  effect, 
  if 
  any, 
  the 
  current 
  has 
  upon 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  her- 
  

   ring 
  to 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  spawning-grounds, 
  in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy, 
  is 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  say; 
  probably 
  it 
  is 
  slight. 
  

  

  The 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  tides 
  in 
  disseminating 
  impurities 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  

   inimical 
  to 
  the 
  herring 
  fisheries 
  is 
  considered 
  in 
  another 
  connection. 
  

  

  ^Yinds. 
  — 
  The 
  winds 
  affect 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  iu 
  two 
  ways 
  — 
  

   by 
  influencing 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  food 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  surf 
  and 
  

   heavy 
  seas 
  in 
  driving 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  coasts 
  aud 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  into 
  

   the 
  deeper 
  waters. 
  My 
  own 
  opportunities 
  for 
  judging 
  of 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  

   the 
  winds 
  upon 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  food 
  organisms 
  were 
  slight 
  and 
  the 
  

   testimony 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  is 
  very 
  contradictory. 
  When 
  the 
  M-iud 
  has 
  

   sufficient 
  velocity 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  sea, 
  there 
  is 
  very 
  little 
  life 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  

   the 
  surface, 
  and 
  waves 
  of 
  even 
  moderate 
  height 
  render 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  

   surface 
  tow-net 
  of 
  but 
  little 
  avail 
  in 
  collecting. 
  There 
  is 
  thus 
  produced 
  

   a 
  vertical 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  food, 
  which 
  is 
  doubtless 
  more 
  

   pronounced 
  in 
  summer 
  than 
  in 
  winter, 
  when 
  surface 
  life 
  is 
  usually 
  

   less 
  abundant, 
  even 
  in 
  calm 
  weather. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  horizontal 
  distribution, 
  

   however, 
  rather 
  than 
  the 
  vertical, 
  which 
  has 
  the 
  greater 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  

   fisheries 
  ; 
  if 
  the 
  food 
  be 
  by 
  any 
  agency 
  carried 
  offshore 
  or 
  to 
  another 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  coast 
  the 
  herrings, 
  except 
  those 
  engaged 
  in 
  spawning, 
  will 
  surely 
  

   follow. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  comparative 
  dearth 
  of 
  surface 
  life 
  in 
  winter 
  the 
  

   influence 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  is 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  summer, 
  but 
  even 
  

   during 
  the 
  latter 
  season 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  observe 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  much 
  effect. 
  

   As 
  both 
  the 
  Thysanopoda 
  and 
  the 
  Copepoda 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  summer, 
  both 
  

   at 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  several 
  fathoms, 
  it 
  would 
  

   appear 
  that 
  the 
  winds 
  have 
  not 
  so 
  great 
  an 
  effecD 
  on 
  the 
  distribution 
  

   of 
  food 
  as 
  is 
  generally 
  supposed. 
  

  

  Strong 
  winds 
  have, 
  for 
  another 
  reason, 
  a 
  considerable 
  effect 
  upon 
  

   the 
  herring, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  upon 
  the 
  weir 
  fishery. 
  I 
  repeatedly 
  noticed 
  the 
  

   failure 
  of 
  this 
  fishery 
  during 
  the 
  prevalence 
  of 
  storms 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  

   two 
  afterwards. 
  The 
  herring 
  run 
  into 
  the 
  deeper 
  water, 
  where 
  they 
  

   can 
  remain 
  undisturbed, 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  come 
  ashore 
  again 
  until 
  the 
  waves 
  

   have 
  subsided. 
  Heavy 
  seas 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  si)awu 
  

   herring 
  in 
  the 
  shallower 
  waters, 
  and 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  at 
  such 
  times 
  

   the 
  herring 
  temporarily 
  move 
  off 
  and 
  presumably 
  cast 
  their 
  spawn 
  iu 
  

   deeper 
  water. 
  It 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  at 
  times 
  quantities 
  of 
  herring, 
  weak- 
  

   ened 
  by 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  spawning, 
  are 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  violence 
  of 
  the 
  waves. 
  

  

  This 
  whole 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  winds 
  upon 
  the 
  herring 
  on 
  our 
  

   coasts 
  will 
  bear 
  closer 
  scrutiny. 
  

  

  