﻿440 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  These 
  several 
  facts, 
  then, 
  would 
  teud 
  to 
  induce 
  a 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  

   schools, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  goodly 
  portion 
  of 
  them, 
  -which 
  frequented 
  the 
  coast 
  

   in 
  winter 
  spawned 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  St. 
  Andrews 
  Bay. 
  It 
  is 
  admitted 
  

   by 
  all 
  that 
  the 
  herring 
  some 
  years 
  ago 
  ceased 
  to 
  spawn 
  in 
  those 
  waters 
  

   except 
  in 
  limited 
  numbers, 
  and 
  as 
  nearly 
  as 
  the 
  date 
  could 
  be 
  fixed 
  

   from 
  rather 
  vague 
  information, 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  cessation 
  corresponds 
  

   approximately 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  disappearance 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  herring. 
  It 
  

   was 
  found 
  impossible, 
  however, 
  to 
  get 
  very 
  accurate 
  information 
  con- 
  

   cerning 
  this 
  spawning-ground, 
  and 
  ai^parently 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  not 
  the 
  

   object 
  of 
  close 
  pursuit 
  at 
  that 
  time. 
  A 
  school 
  of 
  herring 
  continued 
  to 
  

   spawn 
  in 
  Oak 
  Bay, 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  above 
  St. 
  Andrews 
  Bay, 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  spring 
  

   of 
  1895, 
  a 
  fact 
  which 
  may 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  throw 
  doubt 
  upon 
  the 
  rela- 
  

   tionship 
  between 
  the 
  schools 
  which 
  is 
  indicated 
  above. 
  

  

  The 
  segregation 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  into 
  schools, 
  spawning 
  

   at 
  different 
  times 
  and 
  places, 
  has 
  undoubtedly 
  established 
  slight 
  

   structural 
  changes, 
  sufdcieut 
  to 
  constitute 
  a 
  racial 
  difference 
  capable 
  of 
  

   demonstration 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  specimens. 
  If 
  there 
  should 
  ever 
  

   be 
  afforded 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  comparing 
  a 
  considerable 
  series 
  of 
  winter 
  

   herring 
  with 
  extensive 
  series 
  from 
  the 
  two 
  spawning 
  schools, 
  it 
  maybe 
  

   possible 
  to 
  determine 
  with 
  certainty 
  the 
  relations 
  existing 
  between 
  

   them. 
  Until 
  the 
  winter 
  schools 
  again 
  return 
  to 
  our 
  coast 
  all 
  inquiry 
  

   into 
  this 
  matter 
  must 
  partake 
  largely 
  of 
  speculation. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  scant 
  information 
  at 
  hand 
  concerning 
  the 
  winter 
  herring 
  

   fishery 
  of 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy, 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  assign 
  any 
  satisfactory 
  

   cause 
  for 
  their 
  disappearance. 
  There 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  warrant 
  for 
  the 
  

   assertion 
  occasionally 
  made 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  practically 
  extermi- 
  

   nated 
  by 
  overfishing. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  region, 
  regard 
  such 
  

   an 
  explanation 
  as 
  untenable. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  a 
  falling 
  off' 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  

   was 
  noted 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  years 
  of 
  the 
  fishery, 
  but 
  this 
  appears 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  due 
  to 
  irregularities 
  in 
  distribution 
  rather 
  than 
  to 
  an 
  evident 
  

   decrease 
  in 
  numbers, 
  as 
  when 
  the 
  schools 
  were 
  located 
  the 
  fishing- 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  be 
  as 
  good 
  as 
  ever. 
  This 
  is 
  precisely 
  what 
  would 
  be 
  expected, 
  

   on 
  a 
  priori 
  grounds, 
  if 
  a 
  given 
  body 
  of 
  fish 
  accustomed 
  to 
  frequent 
  the 
  

   immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  shores 
  were 
  to 
  become 
  distributed 
  over 
  the 
  

   more 
  open 
  waters, 
  where 
  they 
  would 
  not 
  only 
  be 
  more 
  scattered, 
  but 
  

   also 
  more 
  difficult 
  to 
  locate 
  and 
  catch. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  last 
  year 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  there 
  were 
  yet 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  

   herring, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  utterly 
  impossible 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  these 
  were 
  so 
  preyed 
  

   ui)on 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  practically 
  exterminated, 
  so 
  that 
  none 
  

   were 
  left 
  to 
  return 
  the 
  following 
  year. 
  If 
  they 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  caught 
  

   out 
  they 
  must 
  have 
  left 
  the 
  coast 
  as 
  a 
  body; 
  but 
  the 
  reason 
  for 
  their 
  

   desertion 
  of 
  their 
  inshore 
  haunts 
  is 
  also 
  difficult 
  to 
  understand, 
  and 
  

   where 
  they 
  have 
  gone 
  since 
  their 
  total 
  disappearance 
  from 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  

   Fundy 
  is 
  equally 
  lacking 
  in 
  elucidation. 
  Extensive 
  fishing 
  might 
  

   possibly 
  cause 
  the 
  schools 
  to 
  forsake 
  the 
  shores 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  they 
  

   were 
  not 
  driven 
  by 
  the 
  overpowering 
  stimulus 
  of 
  reproduction, 
  although 
  

  

  