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BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
INTRODUCTION 
NEED FOR INVESTIGATION 
The herring fishery of Alaska has undergone a tremendous development in 
recent years. Gaining an impetus during the World War, it has increased until 
during the four years 1924 to 1927 an average of 160,000,000 pounds have been 
taken annually from the waters of Alaska. This ranks next to the take of salmon, 
the average annual catch of which during the same period was 358,000,000 pounds. 
The rational use of this fishery and the desire to keep it at a point of maximum 
productivity without endangering the future supply demands a knowledge of two 
things: (1) We must know how the species is withstanding the strain of the fishery; 
(2) we must know what natural changes in abundance are occurring, so that they 
will not be confused with the effects of fishing, that they will be understood, and, if 
possible, foretold. 
An investigation of the biology of the species was undertaken to understand 
and, if possible, to forecast these fluctuations in abundance, to discover whether 
they were due to natural causes or to depletion, and, if due to depletion, how this 
condition might best be remedied. 1 During the summer of 1925 the writer made a 
preliminary survey of the situation, visiting the important herring fisheries and 
collecting data for a general study of age and races. From an examination of these 
data it was decided that conditions were most favorable in central Alaska (Prince 
William Sound to Kodiak Island, inclusive) for working out the biology of the species, 
and so field work was confined to this part of Alaska in 1926. 
PROBLEMS 
Great natural fluctuations in abundance exist in the Atlantic herring (Hjort, 
1914; Lea, 1919, 1924) and the California sardine (Higgins, 1926; Scofield, 1926). 
These two species, closely related to the Pacific herring, have been under observation 
for a number of years, and in both cases the fluctuations have been found to be due 
to the coming into the catch, or the departure therefrom, of fish produced in unusual 
numbers in some one year or years. Such an abundant year class may predominate 
in the catch for several years, during growth from young to adult, and as long as it 
is present it must increase the catch beyond that ordinarily taken. These “domi- 
nant” year groups may be one cause of the fluctuations in abundance of the Alaska 
herring, and if so, such fluctuations may be due largely to natural causes, not to 
overfishing. 
To discover whether these fluctuations in abundance may be due to dominant 
year groups it is necessary to know the age or size composition of the herring popula- 
tion from year to year in order to connect any fluctuations in the catch with changes 
in the constitution of the population. Study of such age or size groups for a few years 
1 Many friends and associates have materially aided in the work with valuable advice and cooperation. William F. Thompson, 
director of investigations of the International Fisheries Commission of the United States and Canada, has aided the work in all 
its phases. Advice and valuable criticism have also been obtained from members of the scientific staff of the International 
Fisheries Commission: Henry A. Dunlop, William C. Herrington, and F. Heward Bell. I wish to thank Dr. Wilbert A. 
Clemens, director of the Pacific biological station of the Biological Board of Canada, for reviewing the manuscript on the section 
dealing with the independence of areas. To Lois F. Eounsefell I am indebted for aid in the making of counts and the tabulating 
and statistical analysis of data. Clarence L. Anderson, a former technologist of the United States Bureau of Fisheries, placed at 
my disposal several thousand length measurements. For special aid in the field work I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to 
many of the herring operators, especially to Haakon Sundsby, of Halibut Cove, Wakefield Fisheries, North American Fisheries, 
Utopian Fisheries, S. Sklaroff & Sons, and others. 
Submitted for publication July 2, 1929. 
