of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



71 



included in our measurement are all fully developed fish, even although 

 only those with well developed milt and roe are considered. And so, 

 while by examination we may be able to ascertain pretty accurately the 

 limit of size over which the herring is not or is seldom found in an im- 

 mature condition, we cannot, with our present want of knowledge of the 

 age of the fish above that standard, be sure whether we are unduly 

 lowering the average size by including spawning but not fully grown fish 

 (and which we to some extent are almost certainly doing), or whether 

 all these spawning fish are typical adult specimens, but of widely varying 

 dimensions. 



In measuring the herrings sent to me I have included, for this purpose, 

 all those which have the roe or milt developed, even although in some 

 cases they were smaller than actually immature fish. I have given my 

 reasons for considering most of those small herrings with but slightly de- 

 veloped roes and milts to be young fish, but the number of those included 

 in the measurements given below are too few to seriously affect the result ; 

 only we ought to recollect that the sizes given cannot be overstated, 

 having been actually measured, while they may indicate rather a less 

 value than is just, both from the inclusion of not fully grown fish and 

 the absence of the largest. 



The absolutely largest fish which reached me are given in the preceding 

 table (I.), for the purpose of showing the general extreme (not by any means 

 the altogether largest) size of the herrings brought ashore., but principally 

 to show that the largest class of fish are to be met with in almost every 

 fishing district around the coast. It also shows that the majority of these 

 large fish were taken during the winter fishing, and although it is not so 

 stated in the table, they were all from fishings less than 5 — generally 

 less than -2 — miles off shore, with the exception of Nos. 39, 53, 76, and 

 104, which were taken 10 miles, Nos. 51 and 64, 20 miles, and Nos. 60, 

 98, and . 106, 30 miles off the land. It may also be noticed that there 

 was a larger number of roe than of milt fish among them, but no special 

 distinction in size in respect to sex could be drawn between these. 



The largest fish included in the table, taking into account both length 

 and bulk, was No. 21, which weighed 12|- oz. 



The following table contains the average size per month of the fish 

 measured, arranged according to the localities from which they came.* In 

 one or two cases the fish, although landed at and sent to me from one 

 fishing district, were caught much nearer another, and in such cases I 

 have allowed for this, of course preferring the actual place of capture to 

 the mere place of delivery ; therefore, to avoid confusion, I have limited 

 the list of localities to the regular districts of the Fishery Board for Scot- 

 land. 



* Unless otherwise stated, the lengths given in this paper are measured from tip 

 of lower jaw to end of scales (see p. 63). 



[Table 



