﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  NORTHEAST 
  COAST. 
  411 
  

  

  region 
  (luiiiig 
  the 
  former 
  season, 
  and 
  this 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  generalization 
  

   that 
  the 
  herring 
  spawns 
  on 
  a 
  falling 
  temperature. 
  The 
  chart 
  shows 
  

   that 
  the 
  statement 
  is 
  true 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  concerns 
  the 
  coast 
  west 
  of 
  Mount 
  

   Desert 
  Rock, 
  this 
  fact 
  being 
  indicated 
  graphically 
  on 
  the 
  chart 
  by 
  the 
  

   direction 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  arrow 
  points. 
  At 
  Petit 
  Manan,the 
  next 
  stati(m 
  

   east 
  of 
  Mount 
  Desert 
  Eock, 
  the 
  herrings 
  begin 
  to 
  spawn 
  about 
  August 
  

   15 
  and 
  continue 
  on 
  a 
  rising 
  temperature 
  until 
  September 
  1, 
  after 
  which 
  

   they 
  spawn 
  on 
  a 
  falling 
  thermometer. 
  At 
  Moosabec 
  a 
  larger 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  the 
  spawning 
  takes 
  place 
  while 
  the 
  temperature 
  is 
  rising, 
  and 
  at 
  

   Grand 
  Manan, 
  assuming 
  the 
  surface 
  temperatures 
  to 
  be 
  ai)proximately 
  

   those 
  of 
  Eastport, 
  almost 
  the 
  entire 
  spawning 
  period 
  occurs 
  while 
  the 
  

   thermometer 
  is 
  rising. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  assumed 
  from 
  the 
  facts 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  fall 
  schools 
  of 
  

   herring 
  mature 
  only 
  in 
  water 
  ap[)roximately 
  of 
  a 
  temperature 
  between 
  

   47° 
  F. 
  and 
  57° 
  F., 
  or 
  if 
  we 
  consider 
  the 
  bottom 
  temperatures, 
  the 
  limits 
  

   would 
  be 
  between 
  about 
  45° 
  F. 
  and 
  55° 
  F. 
  But 
  this 
  range 
  is 
  reached 
  

   to 
  the 
  westward 
  in 
  both 
  spring 
  and 
  fall, 
  and 
  the 
  interesting 
  question 
  

   arises, 
  if 
  the 
  herrings 
  of 
  eastern 
  Maine 
  mature 
  when 
  the 
  thermometer 
  

   reaches 
  47° 
  and 
  spawn 
  upon 
  a 
  rising 
  temperature, 
  why 
  do 
  not 
  those 
  

   farther 
  west 
  spawn 
  in 
  spring 
  instead 
  of 
  waiting 
  until 
  late 
  fall 
  or 
  even 
  

   winter? 
  

  

  The 
  answer 
  to 
  this 
  question 
  will 
  require 
  much 
  more 
  study 
  than 
  has 
  

   yet 
  been 
  devoted 
  to 
  it. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  the 
  wide 
  range 
  in 
  the 
  annual 
  

   temperature 
  at 
  the 
  western 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  herrings' 
  spawning 
  range 
  and 
  

   the 
  (iomparatively 
  rapid 
  thermometric 
  changes 
  which 
  take 
  place 
  there 
  

   may 
  produce 
  an 
  effect 
  different 
  from 
  that 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  more 
  equable 
  

   temperatures 
  of 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fuudy. 
  At 
  Matinicus 
  Island, 
  however, 
  

   the 
  temperatures 
  have 
  no 
  wider 
  range 
  between 
  July 
  1 
  and 
  November 
  

   than 
  occurs 
  at 
  Eastport, 
  yet 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  spawning 
  of 
  the 
  her- 
  

   ring 
  does 
  not 
  begin 
  before 
  September 
  1, 
  and 
  takes 
  place 
  entirely 
  on 
  

   a 
  falling 
  temperature. 
  These 
  facts 
  are 
  mentioned 
  here 
  merely 
  to 
  call 
  

   attention 
  to 
  the 
  need 
  of 
  further 
  inquiry. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy 
  the 
  herring 
  spawn 
  in 
  water 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  fathoms 
  

   to 
  30 
  fathoms 
  in 
  depth, 
  and 
  further 
  investigation 
  would 
  no 
  doubt 
  prove 
  

   that 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  in 
  still 
  deeper 
  water 
  offshore, 
  as 
  in 
  parts 
  

   of 
  Europe, 
  where, 
  according 
  to 
  Ljungman, 
  they 
  are 
  occasionally 
  

   hatched 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  from 
  GO 
  to 
  100 
  fathoms. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Schlei, 
  in 
  Schleswig, 
  the 
  herring 
  spawns 
  in 
  water 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  

   feet 
  deep, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence, 
  as 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   are 
  deposited 
  in 
  i)laces 
  so 
  shoal 
  that 
  great 
  quantities 
  are 
  sometimes 
  

   carried 
  ashore 
  by 
  the 
  waves, 
  Perley 
  citing 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  instance 
  of 
  

   their 
  being 
  used 
  as 
  dressing 
  for 
  the 
  soil. 
  In 
  Oak 
  J5ay 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  

   shoal, 
  in 
  most 
  parts 
  less 
  than 
  3 
  fathoms, 
  but 
  in 
  no 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  

   here 
  immediately 
  under 
  discussion 
  did 
  I 
  learn 
  of 
  spawn 
  being 
  cast 
  up 
  

   or 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  waves. 
  

  

  Upon 
  our 
  coasts, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  known, 
  the 
  herring 
  does 
  not 
  run 
  into 
  fresh, 
  

   or 
  even 
  brackish, 
  water 
  to 
  spawn. 
  On 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  spawning-grounds 
  

  

  