HERRING-FISHERIES ON THE COAST OF SWEDEN. 149 



approach the coast during the cold season, this is no longer the case. 1 

 This change has been attributed to the blubber-refining establishments. 

 An east wind increases the saltness and purity of the sea-water, 2 but it 

 retards the current coming from the North Sea toward the gulfs, and 

 consequently lowers its temperature during the cold season, and favors 

 the formation of ice. As to the most favorable time for fishing, (which, 

 as is well known, is chiefly carried on during the warm season,) the old 

 saying holds good: "fine and steady iceather icith high water" 3 is best. 

 A land-wind and low water are generally considered unfavorable ; 4 while 

 a change, indicated by rising water and falling weather, is considered 

 good. 5 On the Fjellbacka coast, and in several other places, it has been 

 noticed that the herring goes out from the coast " to meet storm and 

 foul weather;" 6 but that after the storm fishing is very good again. 7 



During the spring-herring fisheries near Hisingen, the herring are 

 said to move, during the land-wind, farther up toward the mouth of the 

 river, and there is then good fishing near Gasesund and Ardal, and near 

 Ny-Elfsborg j while during the west and south wind, the best fishing is 

 near Andal and Hastevik. Very mild winters, with continuing violent 

 sea- winds, are thought to drive the sea-herring to the coast. 8 



Although I think it proper not to increase the number of suppositions 

 regarding the herring and the herring-fisheries, (which, by the way, is 

 easy enough, even with only a very superficial knowledge of the her- 

 ring-literature,) I deem it best not to omit noticing in this place the 

 similarity between the approach of the so-called sea-herring to the coast 

 of Bohuslan, and the direction which the current of the sea takes 

 from the North Sea to the Skagerack. This current flows from Skagen 

 toward the Paternoster Eock, just outside of which it turns toward the 

 north, and then follows the coast. 9 Fishing for those herring which 

 come from the sea usually commences near Tjorn and the Marstrand 

 Islands, from which the herring spread toward the south and north. 10 In 

 this latter case, they follow the current of the sea, and as this leaves the 



1 Act Concerning the Blubber-Refineries, pp. 176, 177. 



2 Ekman, On the Sea- Water on the Coast of Bohuslan, p. 26. 



3 Act Concerning the Blubber-Refineries, p. 84. 



4 Dubb, Reports of tiie Royal Academy of Sciences for 1817, p. 46. 

 6 Mitchell, The Herring, p. 33. 



6 Act Concerning the Blubber-Refineries, p. 73. Wright, W. von, Report concerning 

 the Herring-Fisheries, p. 167. Mitchell, The Herring, pp. 97-98. 



7 Dubb, Reports of the Royal Academy of Sciences for 1817, p. 46. Mitchell, The Her- 

 riag, p. 98. 



8 Act Concerning Blubber-Refineries, p. 177. Report on the Herring-Fisheries, pp. 86 

 fr. 11, p. 113 fr. 22, p. 128 fr. 27. Mitchell, The Herring, pp. 28, 33. 



9 Klint, G. af, The Bohus Bay and the Kattegat, Stockholm, 1840, p. 89. Arwidsson, Th. 

 The Bohus Bay and the Kattegat, Stockholm, 1869, p. 3. Ekman, F., On the Sea- Water 

 near the Coast of Bohuslan, p. 23. 



10 Reports of the Fishery-Commission, 1760-72. Cederstrom, Fish-Culture and the 

 Swedish Fisheries, p. 131. Act Concerning Blubber Refineries, p. 6. 2)<4&& r Reports.of 

 the Royal Academy of Sciences for 1817, p. 34. Wright, TV. von, Report on the Herring- 

 Fisheries, p. 174. 



