284 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
to that of Stephens Passage. A very few age readings from San Diego Bay indicate 
a rate of growth but slightly higher than that of Stephens Passage. 
It may be pointed out that although there seems to be a tendency for slower 
growth to the southern and eastern portion of the range, it also seems that the growth 
rate is in each general area slower in inclosed waters. To illustrate, the Prince 
William Sound growth rate is slower than that of Shuyak Strait, and the Stephens 
Passage rate of growth slower than that of Larch Bay. 
Similar results have been obtained in the study of the European herring, those 
from the White Sea, the Lysefjorden (West Norway), the Zuider Zee, and the east 
coast of Sweden being slow growing, while those from the western North Sea, the 
Atlantic Ocean, around Iceland, and the outside waters of western Norway are all 
fast growing. (Hjort, 1914.) The herring in some of the fjords on the Baltic coast 
of Sweden were found by Hessle (1925) to be slower in growth than those of the 
main Baltic. 
The growth-rate curves shown in Figure 29 are not constructed from calculated 
growths, but each point in the curve is the average length of the fish actually taken 
at that age. Growth curves based on scale measurements will be presented in a 
later report. 
Table 28. — Observed lengths at each age in millimeters 
Age (years) 
San 
Diego 
Bay, 1 
Decem- 
ber, 1926 
Stephens 
Passage 
Larch 
Bay, 1 
August, 
1927 
Halibut 
Cove, 
April 
1926 
McDon- 
ald Spit, 
May, 
1926 
Homer 
Spit, 
May, 
1926 
Knche- 
mak 
Bay, 
August, 
1926 
Shuyak 
Strait, 
July, 
1925 and 
1926 
Dogfish 
Bay, 
August, 
1925 
Naked 
Island, 
August, 
1925 
Elring- 
ton 
Passage, 
June- 
August, 
1925 and 
1926 
Dutch 
Harbor, 
August, 
1928 
1 
74.1 
134.0 
195.7 
221.5 
234.7 
252. 1 
260.2 
265.9 
271.8 
275.2 
282.8 
2 281. 7 
2 ___ 
134.9 
170.3 
180.0 
187.7 
2 198. 7 
2 215. 3 
213.2 
221.8 
2 224. 2 
2 225. 0 
2 227. 5 
2 226. 0 
131.0 
2 188. 7 
220.2 
224.9 
252. 5 
263.0 
268.1 
272.6 
273.7 
279.4 
284.1 
285.4 
3 
£.199. 1 
' 222. 7 
7 235. 7 
" 2 260. 0 
t- 252. 7 
"2 265. 5 
195.9 
201. 1 
2 192. 5 
205.4 
222.9 
2 229. 0 
2 240. 5 
179.2 
205.0 
220.8 
231.4 
243.0 
250.0 
261.6 
261.0 
266.9 
2 279. 0 
2 190. 0 
4 
2 200. 0 
j. 203. 3 
218. 2 
'223. 0 
~23o. 8 
' 234. 8 
2 232. 0 
2 220. 0 
241.0 
252.2 
252.0 
264.5 
271.2 
272.7 
275.2 
287.5 
2 277. 5 
2 282. 7 
5 . 
2 220. 0 
2 235. 2 
2 241. 0 
2 255. 0 
261.4 
263.3 
262.6 
266.8 
6 
2 213.7 
217.0 
265.2 
276.1 
2 284. 8 
7 
9 
226.8 
2 268. 0 
2 260. 0 
2 267. 0 
10. 
276.8 
269.8 
2 282. 0 
2 299. 3 
11 
12 
2 243. 0 
2 307. 5 
13 
14 
15 
2 290. 0 
16 
17 
1 
2 286. 0 
18 
i i 
19 
2 320. 0 
| 
1 ! 1 
| 
I 
1 Preserved in formalin. 2 Average contains a frequency of less than 5. 
CONDITION 
CONDITION FACTOR 
It is desirable to know the condition or “fatness” of the herring at different 
seasons and in different localities since the value of the raw herring depends to a 
very large extent on the condition. It is a great economic waste to catch herring 
for oil and fish meal when the oil content is low, or to catch herring for pickling and 
discard large fish that are too thin. If the changes in the condition of the herring 
are known, regulations for opening and closing the fishing season may be so framed 
as to reduce this waste to a minimum thus aiding in the conservation of the supply. 
For these reasons the investigation of the condition is of great importance so that 
accurate information may be available. 
