6 
PAUL BJERKAN: THE YOUNG HERRING 
[Rep. Norw. Fish. Ill 
in length, smaller sizes occasionally and in quite small numbers. The 
drift-nets took all sizes down to 7 — 8 cm. It is evident, however, that 
the hauls made with these implements cannot, at any rate in the case 
of the drift-net, claim to be representative of the stock on the fishing- 
grounds. The result seems to be most satisfactory as regards the I-group. 
Of the 0-group the herring of 6 cm. in length and smaller went 
through the meshes of the drift-nets and very possibly some herrings 
of the length of 7—8 cm. had the same narrow escape. In the trawl 
the 0-group was only taken occasionally and then the length-fre¬ 
quencies of the samples show plainly that a lot of the smaller sizes 
had escaped through the meshes. Regarding the II-group it could now 
; 
and then be observed, according to the journal, that herrings fell off 
the small meshed nets, and from the herrings caught we can judge 
that these were mostly belonging to the II-group. The I-group was 
taken as well by the net as by the trawl, but in the trawl catches this 
group is much better represented; it thus seems that the herring at 
this stage lives nearer the bottom. The contrary is the fact in the 
II-group, — the best catches are made by the drift-nets and the few 
taken by the trawl are mostly small-sized ones. The material taken 
is not large enough to make safe deductions, but the catches seem 
to indicate a segregation of the larger individuals from the shoals of 
smaller ones of the same age groups. This is especially the case 
as regards the II-group. The smaller individuals seem to keep more 
to the bottom while the habitat of the larger ones is more pelagic. 
If this be the case it might be still more difficult to attain a material 
sufficiently representativ, especially of the II-group. This segragation 
I will discuss more closely later on. 
The maps. 
The three maps (fig. 1—3) are constructed in order to give a 
view of the stations of the cruises and the principal results as regards 
the three above-named age-groups. 
Fig. 1 shows the position of the stations of the summer and au¬ 
tumn cruises, where implements to catch small herrings, viz: herring- 
trawl and small-meshed nets, were used. As might be seen the sum- 
