of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



295 



The opinion of Ekstrom(10, 10a) was that herrings 10-1 2 inches in length 

 were about 4-5 years of age. He found young herrings on the coast at 

 Morko to reach a length of 25mm. in one month, 50mm. in three months, 

 75mm. to 100mm. in December, when they were nearly one year old, and 

 about 100mm. (4 inches) when one year of age. He believes that 

 maturity is reached at a length of 7 to 8 inches. 



Nilsson (11) states that the young of the autumn-spawning herring 

 measure about 75mm. (3 inches) in the following May ; and, according to 

 the views of the fishermen on the Bohuslan coast, the young of the 

 spring herring reach a length of 25mm. in May, 50mm. about the middle 

 of August, and in the autumn of the following year, when they are about 

 one year and a half old, they are from 75mm. to 100mm. (3-4 inches). 

 It was held, moreover, that the herring did not spawn until it was five or 

 six years of age. 



G. O. Sars (12) followed Nilsson in believing that the herring reaches a 

 considerable age before it reproduces, fixing it first at 4 to 5 years, and 

 later at 5 to 6 years. 



Another author specially qualified to speak of the herrings of the 

 Bohuslan coast assigns to them a very slow growth. A. W. Malm (13) states 

 that those of 85mm. to 95mm. (3g-3| inches) are almost two years old, 

 and he thinks that herrings from 19cm. to 22cm. (7|-8f inches) are in 

 their fourth year, and those of 30cm. (llf inches) upwards of six years 

 of age. 



Hoek (14), who carried on a series of careful observations on the 

 herrings of the Zuiderzee, which spawn in April and May, states that the 

 ripe herrings measure between 24mm. and 27cm. (9 J— lOf inches) their 

 weight being from 110 grammes to 143 grammes, and the weight of the 

 reproductive organs from 23 grammes to 27 grammes. 



He gives a number of measurements of the post-larval and young 

 herrings taken at various periods throughout the year. In July the 

 smallest ones were 37mm. to 42mm. (about 1 k inches), and there were others 

 between 57mm. and 80mm. or even above 90mm. In the following 

 February most measured between 88mm. and 95mm. (3 T 7 ^-3|- inches), in 

 March between 85mm. and 95mm., while others were 49mm. to 75mm. 

 (1 1£-3 inches), others 70mm. to 78mm., and some 83mm. to 114mm. In 

 April a few specimens were taken which measured about 90mm. (3^ inches). 

 He thinks that when one year old they are about 115mm. (4^ inches) ; 

 but his Tables allow a smaller size to be inferred, especially as young 

 herrings are known to enter the Zuiderzee from the North Sea. 



In another work (14a, p. 298) Hoek describes the characters of young 

 herrings of the Hollandsch Diep and Haringvliet. Large numbers were 

 found in the Hollandsch Diep at the end of March, measuring 45mm. to 

 48mm. (1|~ l-£ inches), which he assigns to the North Sea so-called winter 

 herring, which spawns from the beginning of August on ; others from 

 21mm. to 28mm. (xf~8J inches), found in the latter part of June, he 

 attributes to the coast herrings which spawn in spring. 



(c) Meyer and Jenkins. 



A series of observations on the growth of the herring of Kiel 

 Bay was carried on by Dr. H. A. Meyer (15, 15a), whose results are 

 well-known and have to a very large extent guided opinion subsequently 

 as to the rate at which the herring grows. In 1874 he found numerous 

 larval herrings at the mouth of the Schlei, where spawning takes place 

 in March, and especially in April and May, measuring 25mm. to 29mm. 

 On 10th June they measured up to 33mm. ; on 23rd June up to 43mm., 



