Homing of Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus harengus) in Newfoundland Waters as Indicated by Tagging Data

An extensive tagging program was carried out on the herring populations along the east coast of Newfoundland during the 1970s as a basis for defining stock management units. The resulting tag recapture data have been examined in relation to the hypothesis that the majority of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus harengus) return to the same area to spawn in successive years. Our analyses support this hypothesis and indicate that homing rates for Atlantic herring are high (approximately 90%). We concluded that herring fisheries restricted to spawning fish would allow a more rational distribution of fishing effort such that individual spawning stocks could be exploited in varying fashion according to the desired management objectives.