KING HERRING 



703 



ring spawn. Mackerel, albacore, and va- 

 rious other high-sea fishes prey largely on 

 herring at times, and numerous species 

 of little or no value to man — like the 

 sharks, dogfishes, sculpins, and floun- 

 ders — often gorge themselves with her- 

 ring and their recently deposited eggs. 



Among the marine mammalia, whales, 

 porpoises, dolphins, and seals prey on the 

 herring and sometimes subsist almost en- 

 tirely on this fish. 



On parts of our northeast coast proba- 

 bly the worst enemy of the young herring 

 is the squid, which frequents the inshore 

 waters in immense numbers and is most 

 adept and insatiable in capturing the un- 

 lucky herring, both in open waters and 

 in the weirs of the fishermen. 



Small fishes, birds, and a perfect host 

 of other minor creatures find a large part 

 of their sustenance in the eggs and young 

 of the herring, and in the aggregate are 

 doubtless much more destructive than 

 any of the major enemies mentioned. 



As the herring is probably more exten- 

 sively preyed on than any other fish, and 

 as it is entirely lacking in offensive and 

 defensive powers, it is evident that its 

 perpetuity depends on its abundance and 

 its prolificacy. 



THE WONDERFUL FECUNDITY OF THE 

 HERRING 



The average number of eggs deposited 

 annually by a full-grown herring is 

 30,000. This is not a particularly large 

 number by comparison with the egg-lay- 

 ing capacity of many other marine food- 

 fishes, but it is noteworthy in view of the 

 small size of the fish and its remarkable 

 abundance. If all the progeny of a single 

 pair of herring were to reach maturity 

 and spawn, and if all of their progeny 

 were to survive and spawn, and if this 

 were to go on for a few generations, the 

 resulting volume of fish would be beyond 

 comprehension. In fact, if such unre- 

 stricted multiplication were to continue 

 for a period as short as ten years, all of 

 the seas of the earth would be filled solid 

 with herring, all land would be sub- 

 merged, and all other creatures in the 

 world would be crowded out of existence. 



USES OF THE HERRING 



The extraordinary value attained by 

 the sea-herring as a fishery product has 

 depended in no small degree on the mani- 

 fold uses to which it may be put and the 

 numerous ways in which it is susceptible 

 of preservation. As a fish for consump- 

 tion in a fresh condition, the sea-herring 

 does not rank high by comparison with 

 various other marine food-fishes inhabit- 

 ing the same waters ; nevertheless, a per- 

 fectly fresh herring, when broiled, fried, 

 or baked, is excellent. 



An important use for fresh herring is 

 as bait in the line fisheries for bottom 

 species like halibut, cod, and haddock. 

 Immense quantities are thus consumed, 

 particularly in New England and the 

 British provinces. The herring for this 

 purpose are taken mostly in winter and 

 are frozen in bulk for preservation. 



The simplest method of preservation is 

 that of drying without salt. This is a fa- 

 vorite method for small herring in Japan, 

 and such fish, strung on straws or sticks, 

 are seen exposed for sale in all parts of 

 that country and are extensively eaten. 



A favorite and simple way of prepar- 

 ing herring for food in America and 

 Europe is by smoking, which is usually 

 preceded by a short immersion in brine. 

 Smoked fish, however, will not keep in- 

 definitely, and the herring that enter most 

 largely into the commerce of the world 

 are preserved by various degrees of salt- 

 ing. On the coast of Maine small her- 

 rings in bulk, preserved in pickle and sea- 

 soned with spices, are known as Russian 

 sardines. 



One of the principal uses made of the 

 sea-herring in New England is for can- 

 ning as "sardines." In the same region 

 the fish are also canned under the name 

 of herring, and before the enactment of 

 the present beneficent pure- food law were 

 sometimes sold to the unsuspecting con- 

 sumer as "brook trout" and "mackerel." 

 In Great Britain a favorite canned prepa- 

 ration is kippered herring. 



The waste parts of herring at the sar- 

 dine and salting establishments are con- 

 vertible into an excellent fertilizer, called 



