﻿438 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  playing 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  — 
  but 
  the 
  regular 
  winter 
  scLools 
  

   rarely 
  appeared 
  at 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  when 
  driven 
  by 
  their 
  

   enemies. 
  

  

  There 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  considerable 
  difference 
  of 
  opinion 
  concerning 
  tlie 
  

   effects 
  of 
  winds 
  and 
  weather 
  upon 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  her- 
  

   ring. 
  According 
  to 
  some 
  the 
  herring 
  is 
  a 
  "leeward 
  fish" 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  it 
  

   drifts 
  to 
  leeward 
  in 
  pursuit 
  of 
  its 
  food 
  — 
  and 
  consecpiently 
  mild 
  southerly 
  

   and 
  southwesterly 
  winds 
  were 
  the 
  most 
  favorable, 
  bringing 
  the 
  schools 
  

   toward 
  shore. 
  Others 
  insist 
  that 
  the 
  cold 
  northerly 
  winds 
  brought 
  the 
  

   bast 
  inshore 
  fishing, 
  and 
  still 
  others 
  state 
  that 
  great 
  bodies 
  were 
  at 
  

   different 
  times 
  seen 
  inshore 
  in 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  weather. 
  Indeed 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  more 
  intelligent 
  and 
  better-informed 
  fishermen 
  will 
  agree 
  to 
  this 
  

   last 
  statement 
  when 
  questioned, 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  

   most 
  consonant 
  with 
  the 
  facts 
  of 
  the 
  case. 
  Probably 
  strong 
  northerly 
  

   winds 
  were 
  better 
  than 
  corresponding 
  southerly 
  winds, 
  as 
  then 
  the 
  

   boats 
  could 
  run 
  out 
  and 
  in 
  under 
  the 
  lee 
  of 
  the 
  shore, 
  this 
  being 
  a 
  

   matter 
  affecting 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  rather 
  than 
  of 
  the 
  fish. 
  

  

  The 
  herring 
  of 
  tlie 
  winter 
  school 
  were 
  usually 
  rather 
  lean 
  and 
  poor 
  

   and 
  of 
  moderate 
  size; 
  rarely 
  a 
  few 
  fairly 
  fat 
  ones 
  were 
  caught, 
  and 
  they 
  

   remained 
  in 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  condition 
  until 
  spring. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  

   state 
  that 
  their 
  stomachs 
  contained 
  shrimps 
  and 
  red 
  seed, 
  and 
  this 
  

   statement 
  is 
  confirmed 
  by 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  stomachs 
  obtained 
  at 
  

   Flaggs 
  Cove 
  and 
  Long 
  Island, 
  Grand 
  Manan, 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   January, 
  1894. 
  Six 
  of 
  these 
  contained 
  copepods 
  (red 
  seed), 
  and 
  another 
  

   was 
  gorged 
  with 
  Thysanopoda, 
  the 
  " 
  shrimp" 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  fishermen. 
  

   During 
  the 
  summer 
  these 
  shrimps 
  are 
  extraordinarily 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  

   Passamaquoddy 
  district, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  often 
  seen 
  at 
  

   the 
  surface 
  iu 
  winter; 
  but 
  if 
  this 
  be 
  true, 
  they 
  no 
  doubt 
  abound 
  at 
  a 
  

   distance 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  where 
  the 
  temperature 
  is 
  more 
  equable. 
  

  

  In 
  December 
  the 
  genital 
  glands 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  herring 
  were 
  very 
  

   small, 
  but 
  in 
  March 
  some 
  were 
  always 
  found 
  with 
  these 
  organs 
  in 
  a 
  

   well-advanced 
  state, 
  though 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  ripe. 
  A 
  specimen 
  taken 
  at 
  

   Grand 
  Manan 
  in 
  January, 
  1894, 
  had 
  testes 
  about 
  1 
  inch 
  in 
  breadth 
  

   and 
  quite 
  thick, 
  a 
  condition 
  which 
  throws 
  doubt 
  rather 
  than 
  light 
  upon 
  

   the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  period 
  of 
  these 
  schools. 
  Such 
  a 
  specimen 
  

   might 
  be 
  either 
  an 
  autumn 
  spawner 
  whose 
  development 
  had 
  been 
  

   delayed 
  or 
  a 
  precocious 
  individual 
  whose 
  normal 
  time 
  of 
  reproduction 
  

   was 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  in 
  either 
  case 
  a 
  condition 
  not 
  rare. 
  

  

  In 
  attempting 
  to 
  coordinate 
  these 
  winter 
  schools 
  with 
  others 
  occurring 
  

   in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy 
  considerable 
  difliculty 
  is 
  encountered. 
  As 
  the 
  

   winter 
  herring 
  no 
  longer 
  occurs 
  upon 
  the 
  coast, 
  the 
  investigation 
  must 
  

   depend 
  almost 
  entirely 
  upon 
  the 
  testimony 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  whose 
  

   information 
  is 
  naturally 
  largely 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  requirements 
  of 
  their 
  

   calling, 
  and 
  who 
  usually 
  bother 
  themselves 
  but 
  little 
  with 
  the 
  history 
  

   of 
  a 
  species 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  it 
  maintains 
  its 
  abundance. 
  Most 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  

   opinions 
  upon 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  the 
  relations 
  existing 
  between 
  the 
  different 
  

  

  