50 



DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND FISHERIES 



No. 9 



9. Miscellaneous Studies 



(a) A Preliminary Report on the Individual Weights of Lake Herring (L. artedi) 

 Taken in Pound Nets off the County of Lamb ton, Lake Huron. 



The investigation was carried out as the result of complaints registered by 

 the fishermen who stated that the six ounce weight limit is too high to make 

 fishing profitable. The fishermen feel that this weight limit is an unnecessary 

 and great hardship on them, especially when their American neighbours, only 

 about 25 miles across the lake from them, are allowed to take all the herring 

 in their crib. They also claim that herring when liberated from their pound 

 net cribs, even with the greatest care, have lost so many scales when trying to 

 force their way through the back of the crib, etc., that they die very shortly 

 afterwards. The scales of herring are very easily rubbed off and hence the 

 statement of the fishermen has considerable truth in it. 



The fish measured were taken from the pound nets located at a depth of 

 16 to 20 feet and scattered fairly well over the pound net fishing grounds of 

 that locality. 



The following data were collected : 



Length from (1) Tip of snout to last caudal vertebra. 

 (2) Tip of snout to fork of tail. 

 (2) Tip of snout to tip of tail. 

 (4) Last caudal vertebra to tip of tail. 



The results of this investigation, as viewed in this preliminary report, 

 support the argument of the fishermen quite strongly. Table I shows that 

 63.95 per cent, of the 2,000 fish examined are under five ounces in weight, 

 whereas only 8.50 per cent, are six ounces or over, that is, of legal weight under 

 the present law. One of the latter fish weighed 16j^ ounces. 



TABLE L 



The relation between age and weight is shown in Table II. It will be noted 

 that: 



1. In this case there are only 55 per cent, under five ounces as against 

 63.9 per cent, shown in Table I, and 9 per cent, six ounces or over as against 

 8.5 per cent, in the same table. This is due to the fact that only the first hundred 

 fish are taken into consideration in Table II, whereas the full 2,000 are considered 

 in Table I. 



2. Only 2 per cent, of the fish examined to date have not reached their 

 third year and might thus be considered immature, whereas 77 per cent, are in 

 their fourth year or older. 



