﻿THE 
  HERRING 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  NORTHEAST 
  COAST. 
  413 
  

  

  September, 
  very 
  few 
  ripe 
  lish 
  were 
  seen; 
  at 
  Northern 
  Head, 
  Graud 
  

   Mauan, 
  about 
  half 
  were 
  ripe 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  later, 
  while 
  upon 
  tlie 
  spawning 
  

   grounds 
  at 
  Machias 
  Bay 
  nearly 
  all 
  were 
  ripe. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  the 
  more 
  matured 
  individuals 
  in 
  a 
  school, 
  when 
  

   approaching 
  ripeness, 
  make 
  for 
  the 
  spawning-grounds 
  and 
  carry 
  with 
  

   them 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  those 
  less 
  advanced. 
  From 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  during 
  the 
  

   journey 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  drop 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  school, 
  probably 
  in 
  ])ursuit 
  of 
  

   food 
  which 
  proves 
  less 
  attractive 
  to 
  the 
  riper 
  individuals, 
  and 
  thus 
  by 
  

   the 
  time 
  the 
  spawning-ground 
  is 
  reached 
  few 
  but 
  the 
  riper 
  ones 
  are 
  

   left. 
  For 
  a 
  time 
  before 
  the 
  discharge 
  of 
  the 
  genital 
  products 
  little 
  or 
  

   no 
  food 
  is 
  taken, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  Northern 
  Head 
  of 
  Grand 
  Manan 
  the 
  more 
  

   immature 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  schools 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  still 
  feeding. 
  

  

  The 
  fishermen 
  assume 
  that 
  the 
  herrings 
  return 
  to 
  spawn 
  upon 
  the 
  

   same 
  grounds 
  ui)ou 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  hatched, 
  but 
  this 
  statement 
  is 
  

   difficxilt 
  to 
  authenticate. 
  If 
  the 
  aforementioned 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  

   of 
  certain 
  herring 
  fisheries 
  near 
  the 
  Gut 
  of 
  Canso 
  be 
  true 
  (which 
  I 
  

   doubt), 
  this 
  tends 
  to 
  confirm 
  the 
  theory, 
  as 
  does 
  also 
  the 
  continued 
  

   annual 
  spawning 
  in 
  Oak 
  Bay, 
  when 
  apparently 
  equally 
  favorable 
  places 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  are 
  neglected. 
  Upon 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  

   that 
  spawn 
  herrings 
  will 
  sometimes 
  disappear 
  from 
  their 
  accustomed 
  

   grounds 
  for 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  years 
  and 
  will 
  then 
  return 
  as 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  as 
  ever. 
  Upon 
  the 
  whole, 
  the 
  evidence 
  upon 
  this 
  point 
  is 
  entirely 
  

   insufficient, 
  and 
  the 
  fisherman's 
  theory 
  seems 
  somewhat 
  doubtful 
  and 
  

   but 
  a 
  corollary 
  of 
  a 
  general 
  hypothesis 
  based 
  upon 
  the 
  data 
  relating 
  to 
  

   the 
  shad, 
  salmon, 
  and 
  other 
  anadromous 
  species. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  regarded 
  as 
  at 
  all 
  probable 
  that 
  an 
  individual 
  herring 
  wiU 
  

   spawn 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  each 
  year, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  reasonably 
  certain 
  that 
  it 
  

   spawns 
  annually 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  years 
  unless 
  its 
  career 
  is 
  cut 
  short 
  

   through 
  the 
  agency 
  of 
  the 
  numerous 
  perils 
  which 
  beset 
  it. 
  In 
  all 
  ripe 
  

   herring 
  of 
  whatever 
  size 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  found, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  ripe 
  

   eggs, 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  very 
  minute 
  ones 
  which 
  are 
  destined 
  in 
  the 
  

   ordinary 
  course 
  of 
  nature 
  to 
  undergo 
  the 
  ripening 
  process 
  at 
  some 
  

   future 
  spawning 
  period. 
  These 
  immature 
  eggs 
  exceed 
  tke 
  ripe 
  ones 
  

   in* 
  number, 
  though 
  the 
  latter 
  individually 
  and 
  collectively 
  far 
  exceed 
  

   them 
  in 
  bulk. 
  They 
  are 
  barely 
  visible 
  to 
  the 
  naked 
  eye, 
  but 
  they 
  can 
  

   be 
  readily 
  detected 
  with 
  a 
  simjile 
  lens 
  as 
  minute 
  i^articles 
  adlierent 
  to 
  

   the 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  ovary. 
  Through 
  the 
  distension 
  of 
  the 
  ovary 
  by 
  the 
  

   ripe 
  eggs 
  they 
  appear 
  rather 
  scattered, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  unripe 
  individual, 
  

   whether 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  spawning 
  or 
  sometime 
  subsecpient 
  to 
  (lie 
  dis- 
  

   charge 
  of 
  the 
  ripe 
  ova, 
  they 
  appear 
  densely 
  crowded. 
  The 
  spent 
  ovary 
  

   is 
  flabby, 
  the 
  vessels 
  are 
  usually 
  gorged 
  with 
  blood, 
  and 
  tlie 
  finger 
  may 
  

   be 
  easily 
  run 
  into 
  the 
  cavity 
  of 
  tlie 
  organ 
  as 
  into 
  the 
  finger 
  of 
  a 
  glove, 
  

   but 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  contraction 
  of 
  the 
  walls, 
  the 
  organ 
  

   again 
  becomes 
  firm 
  and 
  apparently 
  solid. 
  Herrings 
  with 
  freshly 
  spent 
  

   ovaries 
  appear 
  to 
  immediately 
  move 
  oft" 
  into 
  deeper 
  water, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  

   found 
  that 
  very 
  few 
  in 
  that 
  condition 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  

  

  