— 221 — 
dieating the composition in point of age of the spring herring as it appears on con- 
sideration of all the samples collected during these years. 
We will now, on the basis of this material, compare both the individual sam- 
ples from 1914 one with another, and also the year 1914 with the years previously 
mentioned. 
An examination of the table on p. 219 and of Fig. 132 immediately reveals 
the fact that the 1904 year class, consisting in 1914 of 10 year old fish, still far ex- 
ceeds the other year classes in point of numbers. The reader will, moreover, doubt- 
less be surprised, as were those concerned in working out the results, to note the 
close agreement between the different samples as regards their composition in point 
of age. In comparing these, the large herring and spring herring samples should be 
examined separately, since, as already pointed out, it can hardly be supposed that 
the shoals of large herring and spring herring should be entirely identical. In addi- 
tion to this, sample No. 15 should be taken separately, this having been taken at 
Kristianssand, 1. e. in the Skagerak, where peculiar conditions evidently prevail, which 
will require to be further elucidated by continued special investigations. Excluding 
this sample from the Skagerak, it will be seen that the percentage of the 1904 year 
class in the 7 samples of spring herring only varies within a field of from 50.2 to 
61.2; and for six out of the seven samples the difference is only a few per cent. 
Sample No. 10 is especially remarkable, consisting of only 44 individuals, purchased 
in the Bergen market, and exhibiting, in spite of the small number, the greatest 
agreement with the remaining samples. 
Closer observation of the table shows that this agreement not only applies to 
the 1904 year class, but to all the year classes (always excepting sample No. 15). 
Thus the 1905 year class is everywhere second in point of numbers. All the other 
year classes are very poorly represented; only in a few cases do any of them 
amount to 10 0. 
If we then turn to a comparison of the different years, 1907—1914, as shown 
in the table and in Fig. 133, we find a similar picture of the important part which 
the 1904 year class has played in the spring herring stock in these years. In 1907 
there were no less than 5 fairly rich and fairly evenly represented year classes (the 
4-8 year old fish). This even proportion is broken in 1908 by the appearance of 
the 1904 year class, which in the following years exceeds all the other year classes, 
culminating in 1910 with 77,3 °/o and sinking in 1914 to fifty odd. There seems thus 
to be a distinct decrease, although the year class is still very numerously represented. 
The yield of the large herring fishery amounted in 1913 to 275,500 measures 
(of 150 litres), in 1914 to 216,116. The yield of the spring herring fishery up to 
ist March 1913 amounted to 392,500 measures, in 1914 to 158,450, thus showing a 
great decrease in the spring herring fishery. It is, however, scarcely possible as yet 
to accurately compare the yield of spring herring in February alone for the two years, 
partly because the season differs somewhat in point of time in different years, and 
partly because the month of February in 1914 was unusually stormy. It is, how- 
ever, certain, that in February this year there were great masses of spring herring 
present, extending over a great range of coast. The large herring fishery, on the 
