PACIFIC HERRING 
285 
Weights have been taken to enable us to follow the changes in the condition of 
the fish during the seasons of 1926 and 1927. Owing to the erratic appearance of 
herring in central Alaska, we have been unable to obtain a complete series of weights 
over the entire season in any one locality for use as a basis of comparison to discount 
seasonal and size changes. 
We have data for both years for Halibut Cove, lower Ivachemak Bay, and 
Elrington Passage and vicinity in Prince William Sound. We also have weights for 
Shuyak Strait and Eshamy Bay in 1926, and from McClure Bay, Naked Island, and 
Macleod Harbor in 1927. 
Figure 30. — Condition factor for herring in Prince William Sound 
As a standard of comparison we have shown the relation of the weight to the 
length by using a condition factor obtained by the formula: 
100IE 
K U 
in which K is the condition factor, W the weight, and L the length. The weight does 
not increase exactly as the cube of the length, but this factor is valid for comparing 
fish of the same length. (Clark, 1928.) Besides a difference throughout the season 
and in different localities, there is also an annual variation, not only in the time when 
a certain condition is reached in each individual but also in the maximum condition 
obtained. The condition factor naturally changes with the size of the fish represented 
in the catches. 
In Prince William Sound the fish were in better condition in 1927 than in 1926, 
as shown in Figure 30. During the period from the 25th of June to the 2d of July, 
1926, in Elrington Passage and vicinity in Prince William Sound, the herring up to 
225 millimeters in body length were in fair condition and contained an abundance of 
