278 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
Figure 33 shows that they were much thinner than in 1926. A great many of 
them, especially the larger ones, were a little “scabby,” having scales missing in spots 
on their sides and often from the top of the caudal peduncle. To just what extent 
their apparent fearlessness can be attributed to this emaciated condition can only 
be surmised. In the three weeks from the 18th of April to the 11th of May the water 
temperature only increased from 3° C. to 5.5° C., and the herring were not feeding. 
On April 21 we entered the lagoon. A small school of belugas and a few sea gulls 
indicated the presence of a few herring, but it was evident that the main body of her- 
ring had left. On the 24th of April we again entered the lagoon. We noticed the 
sea gulls catching an occasional herring, so we made two hauls with the beach seine 
without success. The previous year we had caught a few yearling herring between 
60 and 80 millimeters in body length mixed among the other herring in the lagoon, 
but we did not obtain any herring under 2 years of age in many beach seine hauls 
TUN 
§ 
| MAY 
I 
V APR 
O 
5 
o 
P MAR 
! 
Q 
FEB 
l! 
. m 
hi | !L 
n r 
i p 
Ml 1 
1 ■ 
o 300 600 900 1200 / 500 
MILES FROM SEATTLE FOLLOWING THE GENERAL TREND OF THE COAST ' 
Figure 25.— Duration of spawning 
made behind Ismailof Island, although not over a mile and one-half from the entrance 
channel of the lagoon. 
The herring remained in the harbor behind Ismailof Island until the 8th of May, 
when a small school was observed spawning on the western end of the island. On 
the 9th of May the herring spawned all along the shore from the light on the eastern 
end of Ismailof Island almost to the entrance to Peterson Bay. This stretch of 
shore is bold and rocky. The spawn was extruded on the seaweed until in places the 
shore appeared gray. Immediately after spawning the herring disappeared. 
No herring spawned on Homer Spit, but they spawned behind McDonald Spit 
on the 14th and 15th of May and also about a week previously. A few spawned at 
Aurora about the 13th of May. 
By the 28th of May the eggs were commencing to hatch on Ismailof Island and 
by June 3 the seaweed was bare of spawn. 
TIME AND LOCALITIES FOR SPAWNING 
The time of spawning varies considerably between different localities. Figure 
25 shows the duration of spawning in some of the places for which we have been given 
dates that are fairly reliable. This shows a distinct tendency for the herring to 
spawn later toward the north and west, due possibly to the herring awaiting a favor- 
able water temperature before spawning. ThereJare^some few localities, such as 
