III.— ON THE FISHERIES OF NORWAY; 



Christiania, November, 1873. 

 To Dr. Spencer Baird, 



President of the United States Commission 



Fish and Fisheries, Washington, D. C. : 



Of the Norwegian salt-water fisheries, the haddock-fisheries are the 

 most important, and next to them the herring-fisheries. 



The largest haddock-fisheries are those of the Loffoden, (Islands,) in 

 the district of Nordland, carried on from the beginning of the year till 

 some time in April. 



About the time that the fisheries cease near the Loffoden, another 

 important haddock-fishery commences, in East and West Finmarken, 

 whicli continues till about the 24th of June. 



A third periodical haddock-fishery, which promises to become of con- 

 siderable importance, is carried on on the coast of the Eomsdal district, 

 and partly, also, further north, in the districts of Fosen and Namsdal, 

 about the same time that the Loffoden fisheries are in progress. 



Of the herring-fisheries, that of the spring herring, which is conducted 

 in the districts of Stavanger, Southern and Northern Bergenhus, and 

 Eomsdal, during February and March, has, so far, been the most import- 

 ant. During late years this fishery has been somewhat irregular. While 

 it has partly abandoned the usual fishing-places, especially in the dis- 

 tricts of Stavenger and Southern Bergenhus, it has been confined, to 

 some extent, to places where fishing was formerly not very good. On 

 the whole, however, it has diminished considerably, and during the last 

 four years the number of fish caught has not been half of what it for- 

 merly was. 



At the time that the spring-herring fisheries began to diminish another 

 large herring fishery was opened up in the northern part of the country, 

 especially in the district of Nordland, and partly, also, in that of Tromso. 

 The fisheries have generally continued from the middle of October till 

 some time after the beginning of the year. The number of fish caught 

 has been constantly on the increase, and last year it reached 700,000 

 <'tonder, r (2,156,000 bushels,) or as much as in former times was con- 

 sidered the result of a good spring-herring season. The species of her- 

 ring called great herring (stor sild,) has become an excellent article of 

 trade. 



* Translation of a printed letter addressed to the United States Fish Commissioner by 

 the authorities of the Norwegian commission, in response to an application for docu- 

 ments relative to the fisheries of Norway and Sweden. 



