﻿408 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  spawning 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  stay. 
  At 
  Wood 
  Island 
  the 
  

   fish 
  arrive 
  after 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  September 
  and 
  spawn 
  in 
  great 
  numbers. 
  

   Fishermen 
  from 
  Friendship 
  and 
  other 
  i^laces 
  follow 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   herring 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  from 
  Mount 
  Desert 
  to 
  Wood 
  Island 
  and 
  even 
  

   to 
  Gloucester, 
  Mass. 
  The 
  fish 
  reach 
  the 
  eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  Massachusetts 
  

   about 
  October 
  1 
  and 
  spawn 
  during 
  that 
  month, 
  while 
  at 
  No-Man's- 
  

   Land 
  spawning 
  begins 
  about 
  October 
  15 
  to 
  25 
  and 
  lasts 
  for 
  three 
  or 
  

   four 
  weeks. 
  In 
  this 
  vicinity 
  rij^e 
  females 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  

   November 
  30, 
  but 
  the 
  males 
  caught 
  with 
  them 
  were 
  all 
  spent. 
  Block 
  

   Island 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  above 
  the 
  southern 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  range 
  

   of 
  the 
  herring 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  spawn 
  there 
  during 
  November. 
  . 
  

  

  The 
  places 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  foregoing 
  resume 
  of 
  the 
  spawning- 
  

   grounds 
  include 
  only 
  those 
  where 
  the 
  herrings 
  apjiroach 
  within 
  a 
  short 
  

   distance 
  of 
  the 
  shore. 
  All 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Maine 
  are 
  numerous 
  

   outlying 
  reefs 
  and 
  shoals, 
  most 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  within 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  25 
  

   miles 
  fi'om 
  the 
  mainland. 
  Upon 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  herrings 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  

   deposit 
  their 
  eggs, 
  which 
  are 
  found 
  adhering 
  to 
  rodes 
  of 
  vessels 
  and 
  

   boats 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  cod 
  and 
  haddock 
  fisheries. 
  In 
  all 
  probability 
  

   many 
  of 
  these 
  banks 
  and 
  ledges 
  are 
  not 
  si>awned 
  upon 
  yearly, 
  but 
  

   from 
  their 
  large 
  extent 
  and 
  the 
  frequency 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  spawn 
  is 
  thus 
  

   accidentally 
  found, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  reasonable 
  assumption 
  that 
  no 
  small 
  propor- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  upon 
  our 
  coasts 
  are 
  hatched 
  upon 
  these 
  ofishore 
  

   grounds. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  as 
  a 
  fact 
  that 
  from 
  Grand 
  Manan 
  to 
  Cai)e 
  

   Cod 
  the 
  herring 
  spawns 
  wherever 
  suitable 
  bottom 
  is 
  found. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  noticed 
  that 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  Tynmouth 
  Creek 
  

   locality, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  others 
  likewise 
  of 
  little 
  importance, 
  the 
  

   summer 
  and 
  fall 
  schools 
  spawn 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bay 
  of 
  Fundy, 
  and 
  the 
  spring 
  schools 
  uniformly 
  spawn 
  entirely 
  east 
  

   of 
  this 
  line. 
  A 
  thorough 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  physical 
  conditions 
  and 
  climatic 
  

   history 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  would 
  no 
  doubt 
  throw 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  

   reasons 
  for 
  this. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  beginning 
  of 
  

   the 
  reproductive 
  act 
  gradually 
  recedes 
  as 
  we 
  pass 
  westward 
  along 
  the 
  

   coast. 
  At 
  Wood 
  Island 
  the 
  season 
  commences 
  2J 
  months 
  later 
  than 
  

   at 
  Grand 
  Manan, 
  though 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  still 
  sj>awuing 
  in 
  abundance 
  at 
  the 
  

   latter 
  place 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  season 
  reaches 
  its 
  maximum 
  at 
  tlie 
  former. 
  

   Between 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  spawning 
  at 
  Grand 
  Manan 
  and 
  its 
  cessa- 
  

   tion 
  at 
  Block 
  Island, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  term 
  of 
  between 
  four 
  and 
  five 
  months, 
  

   from 
  July 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  November 
  or 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  December. 
  

  

  A 
  comparison 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  seasons 
  upon 
  the 
  two 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  

   Atlantic 
  is 
  of 
  interest. 
  Huxley 
  has 
  stated 
  that 
  in 
  Scotland 
  no 
  full 
  

   herring 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  June 
  or 
  December, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  rare 
  in 
  May 
  

   and 
  early 
  in 
  July, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  late 
  in 
  November 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  

   January. 
  A 
  spring 
  spawning 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  January, 
  

   and 
  continues 
  through 
  February, 
  March, 
  and 
  Ai^ril, 
  and 
  an 
  autumn 
  

   spawning 
  late 
  in 
  July 
  is 
  continued 
  in 
  August, 
  September, 
  October, 
  

   and 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  November. 
  February 
  and 
  March 
  are 
  the 
  great 
  

   months 
  of 
  spring 
  and 
  August 
  and 
  September 
  of 
  autumn 
  spawning. 
  

  

  