HEKRING-FISHERIES ON THE COAST OF SWEDEN. 141 



similarities to the Norwegian spring-herring-fishery, and passed by the 

 differences. With regard to the Bohus-liin fishery, this fact may be 

 explained by well-known meteorological and hydrographic conditions. 

 It is also evident, that if fishing, as is done near the coasts of Scotland, 

 had been carried on with floating nets, the above-mentioned facts 

 would not have become prominent as they are now in consequence of 

 fishing with stationary nets. 



Nothing remains now, in conclusion, but to account for the assertion 

 that herring "resembling" the " old" herring had been caught near the 

 coast of Bohus-liin, or in the open sea near that coast, and to examine 

 this assertion a little more closely. 



At the meetings held by the committee of inquiry in 1833, the opinion 

 of the fishermen that "herring resembling the old" herring had been 

 caught among the other herring was upheld by a majority of those pres- 

 ent only at two places, viz, in Stromstad 1 and in Kladesholinen. 2 If 

 we compare the reports given by the fishermen at the former of these 

 places with those given on the same occasion by Mr. JSForberg, a whole- 

 sale dealer, we find that the coast-herring, although distinctly different 

 from the " old " herring, was still thought to resemble it in some cases, 3 

 and thatthelarger herring, which was otherwise caught, was the so-called 

 straksill, (wandering herring,) 4 which latter race is still declared to be 

 the same as the "old" herring, or, at least, is said to resemble it very 

 much, by old men in Stromstad. It does not, therefore, seem improb- 

 able that either of these species of herring was meant by the answers 

 given to the nineteenth question put by the committee. If we further 

 compare the latter of the above-mentioned answers with those received 

 in the same place to the seventh question, it also appears that another 

 kind of herring was thought to resemble the " old " herring. The answer 

 to the thirtieth question, 5 however, undoubtedly implies the coast-her- 

 ring. 6 As the answers given by the salters Schiller and Mjoberg 7 were 

 disputed by all the fishermen present, and as the former of these men 

 had only witnessed the " old " fisheries when very young, and both evi- 

 dently meant the coast-herring, these answers may chiefly have been 

 called forth by the couviction — discarded at a later time — of the cor- 

 rectness of Professor Niteson's views. Mjoberg was the only person who, 

 at the inquest of 1833, positively asserted that herring was constantly being 

 caught on the coast of.Bokus-lan which not only resembled the " old" her- 

 ring, but was of the same kind. If we compare the answers received at 



1 Handl. r6r. Sillf., p. 87-88 fr. 19. 



2 Handl. ror. Sillf., p. 123 fr. 30. 



3 Handl. ror. Sillf., p. 92. 



4 Handl. rcir. Sillf., p. 95. 



• Handl. ror. Sillf, p. 123. 



6 See Norlerg's, Schiller's, and Mjoberg's similar answers: Handl. ror. Sillf, p. 92, p 

 112 fr. 16, p. 127 fr. 17.— Elcstrom, 6fvers. af Kgl. Vet. Akad:s Forhandl. f 1848, p. 84 

 ■> Handl. rik\ Sillf, p. 112 fr. 16, p. 127 fr. 17, p. 123 fr. 28. 



