zeug, 
Assortment of fat herring. 
The fat herring are divided for trade purposes into no less than nine different marks, 
embracing together fish of from 2—7 years of age, 19—29 cm. in length, and from 50 
to about 200 gr. weight. The smallest average therefore as many as 20 to the kg., the 
largest, which are, however, very rare, 4—5. The sizes most frequently occurring are 
those between the so-called Mark 5 and Mark 1 or 2. Mark 5 fish are about 22 cm. long, 
and weigh about 70 gr., averaging 14 to the kg. Marks 1 and 2 include fish of 26—27 cm. 
in length, weighing 110—125 gr. or 6—8 per kg. 
It is a well known fact that the yield in one year may consist almost exclusively 
of Mark 4 and 5, in another of Mark 2 and 3, which is sufficient proof that the practical 
industry recognises great fluctuations in point of size, although it has not been 
known to be due to variations in the year classes. It would also be difficult for 
men engaged in the practical industry to discover this, since the different individuals 
of the year classes vary so greatly in size that no one year class corresponds to any di- 
stinct mark, but each embraces several mark groups. We therefore find, in most cases, 
that the statements in the fishery reports indicate several groups, e.g. “Mark 2—4”, 
without indicating the percentage of each. It is thus only possible to obtain approxi- 
mate information with regard to size from the fishery telegrams for the years 1906— 
1909, nor can the statements given be expressed in figures, as for instance in a calcula- 
tion of the average sort for each year. Thus roughly, however, it was not difficult to 
see, on perusing the telegrams, that the yield of 1906 contained many Mark 6 fish, that 
of 1907 Mark 5, and that of 1908 Mark 3—4, while in 1909, many Mark 1, 2 and 3 fish 
were noted. A cargo of herring from Ejdsfjorden in September 1908 thus showed: 
Mark 2 Mark 3 Mark 4 
50 200 1250 barrels. 
Two cargoes from Nordland, in 1909 showed: 
Mark 1 Mark 2 Mark 3 Mark 4 Mark 5 
400 500 500 200 a | an 
190 607 636 470 Seam Eu pi 
Fluctuations in the fat herring fishery. 
It is thus beyond doubt that a marked increase in the weight of fat herring took 
place in the years 1907—1909, as was also the case with the samples scientifically inve- 
stigated. Moreover, the character of the increase was such as to agree very well with 
the supposition that it was principally due to those fish which in 1907 were three years 
old, and in 1909 five. 
According to the Fishery Statistics, the following quantities (given in hectolitres) 
of fat herring were taken in the Nordland district in the years 1903—1910: 
1903.... 261,274 1807... 1STD 
1904.... 61,853 O0 08 GA 
1905... . 8,359 II. 255 Stee, 072 
IN 2 1910.... 415,595 
