Evening star., 1909-09-04
HERRING, KING OF SEA
Most Valuable Fish in Waters
of the World.
FOOD FOR THE MILLIONS
Supports Many Industries in Various
Parts of Globe.
IMPORTANCE IN HISTORY
Many Members of the Tribe-Lives
in the Ocean and in Fresh
IMPORTANCE IN HISTORY
Many Members of the Tribe-Lives
in the Ocean and in Fresh
Water-Its characteristics.

Hugh NJ. Smith. Deputy Commissioner of Fish
cries. in the National Geographic Magazine
When one takes bird s-eye view OF
| the fisheries Of the world he quickly per-
ceives that there is nc family of fishes
and no group of aquatic animals that
contributes so largely to the support OF
the human race as the herrings. The
family has 200 members, nearly all OF
which exist in great abundance
In nearly every country having exten-
sive fisheries some kind of herring is OF
Importance, and in many countries rep
resentatives of the family are among the
most valuable of the water products
Some of the herrings live exclusively in
salt water, some exclusively in fresh
water, and some alternately In the sea
and streams.
Characters by which the herrings may
readily be recognized are the presence OF
a single dorsal fin. which. like all the
other fins, is composed only of soft OIL
non-spinous rays; the absence Of an adj
pose dOrSal fin, such as occurs in the
salmons and trouts; a swim-bladder
which communicates with the esopha gus
by pneumatic duct; four gills; a
or deficient teeth a fully scaled body
but naked head: the absence of a series
of lateral line" organs, and a generally
silvery colOration. The structure of the
mouth parts determines the food. which
usually consists of minute animals and
plants, strained from the water by the
numerous gill-rakers.
On the east coast of North America
we have such well-known and important
members of the family as the sea-her-
,.fx- hn,.r rJ<,
wives, the West Indian sardine and the
menhaden, the last doubtless the most
abundant fish on our shores. On the
Pacific coast of North America are the
California sardine and the scattering
On the shores of Europe are the Alice
shad and the Twaite shad; the pilchard
which when young is canned under the
name of sardine and sent to the outer
most confines of civilization; the sprat,
and the scattering. In the Caspian
and Black seas and in the Volga her
rings occur in great abundance and are
the principal fish of those regions The
seas that wash the shores of northern
Asia, particularly those of Siberia, Korea
and Japan. TEEN with a number of kinds
of herrings and sardines. In the waters OF
the Philippine and East Indian archipela-
goes, small and large members of the
family abound. In the rivers of India
runs the hilsa, which is similar to the
American shad, and on the coast of India
likewise exist in Australia and New Zea-
land; in the rivers and coastal waters
Of Africa, and at the southern extremity
of the Western Hemisphere, where the
Chill sardine abounds.
Has Determined Nations Destiny.
But the herring par excellence is the
sea herring of the north Atlantic and the
scarcely distfnguishabIe sea herring of
the north Pacific. The fish-biologicaNy
two species. commercially one species
the most abundant and most valuable in
the world, and Is therefore entitled to be
called king.
The sea herrings are cold water fish
and reach their greatest abundance in fan
northern ATTITUDES. The herring Of the
Atlantic, called Clupea harenguS by Lin
naeus, has a remarkably wide distribu-
ton. On the western shores of Europe
It's southern limit is the Strait of Gibral-
tar, whence 1t ranges to the White sea
and the Arctic ocean as far north as
Spitzbergen. occurring In enormous num-
bers in the Bay of Biscay, North sea,
Baltic sea and Norwegian sea. It is thus
found on the coasts of Spain, Portugal
France. Belgium. Holland England
Wales, Scotland, Ireland. Denmark. Ger
many, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Nor
way. With Iceland as an intermediate
station, the fish crosses to the shores
of Greenland and extends it's range south
ward and westward to Labrador, New
foundland, Quebec, New Brunswick
shores. going in winter occasionally to
New York and exceptionally as far south
as the Virginia capes. The north Pacific
herring, first called Clupea pallast by Gu
vier and Valenciennese, exists in the
same extraordinary abundance as the At
lantic fish and has also very extensive
range, being found from California to
Alaska and from Siberia to Korea and
Japan.
A tale as stirring as any fiction could
be based on the part played by the sea
herring in the history of some OF the
principal countries. Its spawning and
feeding grounds have determined the 10
cation Of cities" and in several instances
the actual destiny of nations and the
fate of monarchs appear to have been in
volved in the herring fishery.
Countries in which the quest OF the
herring Is an important industry are the
United States. the Canadian provinces
of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Que
England, Scotland. Wales and Ireland,
Norway, Sweden and Denmark, Russia,
Germany. Holland. Belgium, France,
Japan and Siberia.
The chief purpose the herring sub
serves in nature is to be the food of a
host of other creatures. some Of which
are of great economic value. The most
important Of the fishes that subsist regu-
larly on herring are the cod. haddock.
hake and pollock, all of which consume
immense quantities of herring and her
ring spawn. Mackerel, albacore and va
rious other high-sea fishes prey largely
on herring at times, and numerous species
of little or no value to man-like the
sharks, dogfishes, sculpins and founders
often gorge themselves with herring ano
their recently deposited eggs.
Among the marine mammaiia, whales
porpoises, dolphins and seals prey on the
herring and sometimes subsist almost en-
tirely on this fish.
On parts of our northeast coast proba-
bly, the worst enemy of the young herring
is the squid, which frequents the inshore
waters in immense numbers and is mos'
adept and Unsuitable in capturing the un'
lucky herring, both in open waters and In
the weirs of the fishermen.
Is Small fishes, birds ana parfect host OF
other minor creatures find large part OIL
their sustenance in the eggs and young OF
the herring, and in the aggregate are
doubtless much more destructive than any
OF the major enemies mentioned.
AS the herring is probably more exten-
sively preyed on than any other fish, and
as 1t is entirely lacking in offensive and
defensive powers, it Is evident that Its
perpetuity depends on its abundance and
it's prolificacy.
Fecundity Of the Herring.
The average number Of eggs deposited
annually by full-grown herring Is 3O.-