THE NORAVEGIAN HERRING-FISHERIES. 99 



and visited the Norwegian herring-fisheries, in order to compare them 

 with the Swedish. He endeavors to prove, in his reports, that the her- 

 ring does not come from the Polar Sea to the coasts of different coun- 

 tries, but, as the well-known zoologist Bloch has remarked, has its per- 

 manent place of abode near those coasts where it comes to spawn. He, 

 therefore, thought that the Botmsliin herring never left the Skagerak, 

 and bad nothing to do with the Norwegian spring-herring, which was a 

 totally different variety, and that the Bohuslan herring had, therefore, 

 not emigrated to Norway. On the other band, he at first thought, 

 although he was not quite certain about it, that it had been completely 

 exhausted by the fisheries. At a later date, he abandoned this opinion 

 and supposed that the herring had only been driven away from the 

 coast by the noise of singing and dancing in the fishing-huts, and 

 remained at the bottom of the ocean ; and, finally, he came to the con- 

 clusion that it was killed by the impurities of fish-oil which were thrown 

 into the sea. He was also of the opinion that the herring would return, 

 if the seines, by which all the young were caught, could be laid aside. 

 As his opinions did not meet with general favor, a committee was 

 appointed, consisting of Ccunt Bosen, Professor Nilssou, and others, 

 which traveled along the whole coast of Bohuslan from Gottenburg to 

 Stromstad, nnd made numerous inquiries among the fishermen of the dif- 

 ferent districts. Nilsson's reports, as well as the report of the commit- 

 tee, and two memorials regarding the same matter by Professors Sunde- 

 vall and Loven, who concurred in Nilsson's opinion, were printed and 

 distributed in large numbers. We shall have occasion, in the course of 

 this article, to refer to these reports and memorials. 



The Dutch government commissioned Lieutenant Kraft to make exten- 

 sive observations during several years, on the temperature during the 

 season of the herring-fisheries, by means of which it was ascertained at 

 what degree of warmth the greatest quantity of fish was caught. He 

 then prepared a map showing where, at different times, the largest 

 quantity and the best quality of herring were caught. This map was 

 exhibited at the fishing-exposition held in Bergen in 18G5. 



Observations have been made in England for some time by zoologists 

 and scientists, mostly for the purpose of ascertaining whether the sup- 

 position that the fishing-implements had anything to do in driving away 

 the herring was correct or not, and they finally arrived at the conclusion 

 that the great number of old laws which embarrassed the herring-fish- 

 eries ought to be rescinded. 



In Denmark, Professor Kroyer has made a number of observations, 

 only some of which, however, have been published in his work "Msh of 

 Denmark." 



Professor Miinter, at Greifswalde, (province of Pomerania, Prussia,} 

 has also made observations concerning the various species of Pomeraniau 

 herring, their food, and the temperature most favorable for spawning. 



These are the most important practical and scientific investigation? 



