COUNCIL-MAECH1920-APPENDIX — 80 — 



we ought to look to discover the cause of the great variations occurring from time 

 to time in the harvest of the herring fishery pursued by the inhabitants of various 

 countries, it being apparently probable that they are connected with the great 

 variations in the numerical strength of the year classes of herring. 



The idea that formerly prevailed, however, was that the variations in thé 

 catches of herrings from time to time were due to the migrations of the fish. It 

 was maintained that, when the supply of fish off one particular line of coast was 

 exhausted, the explanation was that the herrings had migrated from that neigh- 

 bourhood to another and that the yield of fish in the latter locality was thereby 

 proportionately increased. In that way periods of plentiful yield of fish were sup- 

 posed to have occurred alternately off various coasts, for instance the West Coasts 

 of Norway and Sweden. 



It would seem to be a matter of great interest to endeavour to ascertain 

 for certain periods what actual variations have occurred in past times with regard 

 to the 3deld of herrings secured by the fishermen of those various countries bordering 

 on the North Sea and adjacent waters that carry on a herring fishery on at any rate 

 large scale. It is evident that light upon that point would furnish valuable material 

 for solving the problem of the causes of the variations in the harvests yielded by 

 the herring fishery. 



Now as this question of the herring fishery and its variations may be looked 

 upon as one of the principal subjects of inquiry for those engaged in the Inter- 

 national Fishery Investigations, it is earnestly to be wished that the International 

 Council for the exploration of the sea should decide upon preparing a Statistical 

 Abstract of the Herring Fishery as pursued in times past by the inhabitants of 

 those countries bordering on the North Sea and adjacent waters that have under- 

 taken to participate in the international fishery investigations. In certain of those 

 countries a satisfactory series of statistics in all probability already exists, while 

 in others it will doubtless be a matter of difficulty to procure any very complete 

 or reliable figures, at any rate for any length of time back. Even in those cases, 

 however, it will probably be possible to ascertain the periods during which herring 

 fishing was carried on, even if statements as to the. volume of the annual catches 

 are not available. 



The statements actually existing in the publications of the various countries 

 are, it may be feared, somewhat inaccessible, and hence for that reason alone, 

 there would seem to be good cause for collecting the figures relating to the question 

 in a publication. 



As regards the length of time that the statistics given in a publication of 

 the kind indicated should embrace, that would probably have to depend on the 

 ease or otherwise with which moderately reliable data were obtainable respecting 

 the herring fishery in former days. Doubtless experience in that respect would 



