Biological Characteristics of a Herring Population on the South Coast of Newfoundland

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Author: Humphreys, R. D.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1966
• Subjects: General Medicine; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f66-073; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f66-073

A study of herring was undertaken at the onset of a period of increased exploitation. Catches were examined for length and age composition, growth rates, length–weight relationship, sex, maturity, and fatness.Mean length (33.0 cm) and mean age (8.2 years) were smaller than recorded from earlier investigations, but growth rates have not changed appreciably. Winter-caught herring are of poor quality ranging in fat content between 2.3 and 7.7% of their wet weights.An increase in the proportion of herring with immature gonads as the season progresses and a complete gradation of otolith types from spring-spawned to fall-spawned types suggests: (1) exploitation of fish that previously did not enter the fishery until later in the season, and (2) a spawning season that extends over the spring, summer, and autumn months.