732 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



much to the value of the herring fish- 

 eries. 



TEN BILLION HERRING CAUGHT ANNUALLY 



Erom official statistics of all of the 

 principal and most of the minor fishing 

 countries and from careful estimates for 

 all of the remaining countries, it is quite 

 evident that the sea-herrings of the 

 North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans 

 are easily the most important fishes in the 

 world today, being taken in greater num- 

 bers, constituting a larger food supplv, 

 supporting more people, and yielding 

 larger money returns than any other 

 product of the seas. 



The world's annual production of her- 

 ring at the present time is about 2,495,- 

 000,000 pounds, having a value of $36,- 

 895,000 at first hands. The value of the 

 herring as placed on the markets, in the 

 form of salted, smoked, and canned fish, 

 oil, and guano, is not less than $60,- 

 000,000. 



Many years ago Professor Huxley 

 estimated that three billion herring were 

 taken annually in the North Atlantic 

 Ocean and its arms. These figures were 

 doubtless ultra-conservative, as they 

 were based on an allowance of only two 

 fish to a pound, and did not take into con- 

 sideration the hundreds of millions of 

 pounds of immature and small fish 

 caught in all countries. From an esti- 

 mate based on the present extent of the 

 fisheries, and on the actual weight of the 

 herring in different countries and indus- 

 tries, varying from less than one-tenth 

 of a pound in the "sardine" fishery of 

 Maine and New Brunswick to nearly a 

 pound in the case of the largest "bloat- 

 ers" in America and Europe, I have 

 reached the conclusion that the annual 

 destruction of herring by man at the 

 present time exceeds 10,900,000,000 fish, 

 •or seven fish to every person in the 

 world. 



Some pains have been taken to ascer- 

 tain the approximate number of people 

 who are engaged in the herring fisheries 

 and their numerous ramifications — fish- 

 ermen proper, transporters, cleaners, 

 packers, curers, canners, smokers, coop- 



ers, net-makers and menders, wharfin- 

 gers, shippers, vessel and boat builders, 

 and many other trades. From the best 

 information obtainable it seems that not 

 less than 375,000 persons are directly 

 supported by the herring. If to these 

 are added their families, fully 1,250,000 

 men, women, and children would appear 

 to be dependent upon this fish. 



WILL THE HERRING SUPPLY LAST? 



The question of the perpetuity or 

 maintenance of a species which is caught 

 in such immense quantities has engaged 

 the attention of governments, scientists, 

 publicists, and fishermen for many years. 

 One of the most philosophical minds 

 ever enlisted in the service of fishes and 

 fisheries was that of Thomas H. Hux- 

 ley, whose well-known investigations of 

 the herring in behalf of the British gov- 

 ernment have afforded the best basis for 

 judging of the stability of pelagic fishes 

 like the herring with reference to the 

 possible effects of man's influence 

 thereon. Huxley's researches more 

 than those of any other person have de- 

 termined the attitude of governments 

 and fishery authorities toward the im- 

 portant question of legislation for the 

 protection of the free-swimming marine 

 fishes. 



Huxley concluded that the entire an- 

 nual take of herring in Europe does not 

 represent more fish than would be con- 

 tained in any one of scores of shoals ex- 

 isting at one and the same time. The 

 fact that, with a few peculiar local excep- 

 tions, the abundance of herring has 

 remained unimpaired for centuries af- 

 fords ground for Huxley's recommenda- 

 tion that in the case of the herring, and 

 inferentially of other species of similar 

 habits, the best thing for the govern- 

 ments to do regarding the fisheries there- 

 for is to do nothing, letting the "people 

 fish how they like, as they like, and when 

 they like." The destruction wrought by 

 man is, in fact, insignificant when com- 

 pared with that which must regularly 

 occur independently of him ; and, as an 

 average thing, it is doubtful if human 

 agencies are responsible for more than 



