CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIOLOGY OF THE PACIFIC HER- 
RING, CLUPEA PALLASII, AND THE CONDITION OF THE 
FISHERY IN ALASKA 
By GEORGE A. ROUNSEFELL 
Junior Aquatic Biologist, United States Bureau of Fisheries 
CONTENTS 
Page 
Introduction 228 
Need for investigation 228 
Problems 228 
Description of the fishery 230 
The seine fishery 230 
The gill-net fishery 232 
Localization of branches of industry, 233 
History of the fishery 234 
Development of various phases of the 
industry 234 
Areas fished 236 
Collection and description of samples — 239 
Selection of the sample 239 
Data taken on each sample 239 
Tables of samples 240 
Other samples 242 
Biology of the Pacific herring 243 
Systematic relationships 243 
Distribution and' sizes 244 
Range,- 244 
Size and occurrence of younger 
age groups 244 
Occurrence of mature herring, , 244 
Variations in size of mature 
herring 245 
Independence of areas 246 
Methods of study 246 
Racial sampling 247 
Vertebrae 248 
Reliability of vertebral 
count 248 
Comparison along whole 
length of coast 248 
Comparison of stocks of 
adjacent localities 251 
Validity of differences in 
vertebral count 258 
Summary of vertebral count 
findings 262 
Dorsal rays 262 
Anal rays 265 
Head lengths 267 
Other characters 271 
Conclusions 272 
Page 
Biology of the Pacific herring — Contd. 
Spawning 272 
Spawning habits 272 
Observations on spawning in 
Kachemak Bay in 1926 and 
1927 274 
Time and localities for spawn- 
ing 278 
Age at maturity 280 
Age and growth _ ^ 280 
Determination of age 280 
Growth rate 282 
Condition 284 
Condition factor 284 
Length weight relations 290 
Cleaned weight 290 
Conclusions 291 
Condition of the fishery 292 
Composition of the catch 293 
Sampling for size and age com- 
position 293 
Evidence of dominant year 
classes 294 
Occurrence of dominant year 
classes 298 
Effect of dominant year classes 
on the catch 299 
Dominant year classes show 
relationship of areas 301 
Conclusions 303 
Analysis of catch statistics 303 
Sources of statistics 303 
Treatment of data 303 
Analysis of fluctuations by 
localities 305 
Southeastern Alaska 305 
Central Alaska 309 
Conclusions 314 
Evidence of depletion 315 
Summary 316 
Biology 316 
Condition of the fishery 316 
Bibliography _ 316 
227 
