128 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [2] 
ance, at least of a scientific nature, has been published, during the last 
few years, on the history of the spring herring fisheries. Dr. Boeck and 
Prof. G. O. Sars have written articles on certain special features of these 
fisheries, but these articles are far from exhausting their subjects, and, 
moreover, these two scientists have not had occasion to observe these 
features in connection with phenomena which only became known dur- 
ing the last few years, and which enable us to understand the former 
correctly. The herring, during the last ten years and even till quite 
recently, have exhibited the most remarkable changes, which are not 
isolated, but form a continuous development, one stage of which is closely 
connected with the other. These changes have been very rapid, and 
it is only to be regretted that they have not been made the subject of 
scientific investigations. By examining the numerous reports relative 
to the course of the fisheries during the fishing season, and by convers- 
ing with experienced fishermen, whose recollection of all the circum- 
stances was still vivid, I was, however, enabled to obtain a tolerably — 
correct idea of the history of the last ten years’ fisheries, and I shall in 
this report endeavor to present to the reader its most important feat- 
ures. Till the year 1874 I chiefly based my observations on the reports 
of the superintendents of fisheries, which form a most valuable source of 
reliable and unbiased information. One would think that oral reports 
from different parts of the coast would be likewise reliable with regard 
to phenomena which have occurred at 2 comparatively, ¥, ent period 
of time, and relating to a subject w) e a as g experince, ald have 
led the fishermen to examine into civs.,, iz, the greaigr,,or less de- 
gree of maturity in herring, their size, weight, &c. These last-men- 
tioned sources, however, I have used with great caution, and shall for 
the present only refer to them in a general way. 
The development of the spring herring, above referred to, has not yet 
reached its terminal stage. As this development is still going on, it 
may be expected that several of the phenomena which have characterized 
its early stages will occur again, and that therefore by a closer exami- 
nation of sach phenomena more light may be thrown upon the early part 
of this development. 
The very remarkable occurrence of herring in unusually large masses 
during the first years of the last decade has a parallel in the herring 
fisheries of each year. I here refer to the “new herring,” or mixed her- 
ring, which appeared in enormous numbers prior to the arrival of the 
spring herring in 1870, but which also appeared during the following 
years, and whose schools chiefly consisted of so-called “straalsild,” ray 
herring, or “ blodsild,” blood herring. It is a well-known fact that 
these herring appear regularly every year in small numbers, im- 
mediately before the arrival of the spring herring. Here, therefore, 
there still seems to be a chance to make direct observations relative te 
the more important phenomena of the herring fisheries of the last few 
years. 
