52 Osc Nordqvist, Some observations about the eel in Finland. 



between 33 and 48 cm long, and the smallest of them being 

 also the smallest eels I have ever seen in Finland. 



Every eel was cut np, whereby was shown that they all 

 were females. I have never yet seen a raale-eel in Finland. 

 In all the examined eels the ovaries were already well deve- 

 loped, although thin. Consequently, there can be no doubt 

 about their sex. 



Eels of the said length are yearly caiight in a considerable 

 number in all of our rivers, where lamprey-fisheries exist. But 

 as lamprey-pots are not allowed by the law to be used before 

 the 15:th of August, there are no records of small eels caught 

 before that date. Nevertheless it is very probable that they 

 begin to ascend earlier. In the lamprey-pots they are chiefly 

 caught during the first days after the beginning of the lamprey- 

 fishing. 



As already mentioned I have never in Finland seen any eel 

 smaller than 31 cm, though it is possible that there may also be 

 smaller ones. Fishermen have told me that small eels down 

 to 20 cm long are taken off the mouth of the Borgå river upon 

 long-line after midsummer. From Sweden there are some 

 records of the ascent of elvers. Dr J. O. v. Frie sen has taken 

 70—80 mm long elvers August 24:th in Roslagen (north from 

 Stockholm).!) Trybom^) mentions that in August 1889 »large 

 masses of montée 8 to 13 cm in length» have been seen in the 

 river Ljusnan (Herjeådalen in northern Sweden) at least 50 km 

 from the mouth. In August 1898 and in many previous years in 

 the same month there have been seen in the river Ume at the mill- 

 dam at Norafors elvers of 10 to 15 cm length 3). In the 

 autumn 1900 dr R. Lundberg has seen a quantity of small 

 eels of 20 to some more than 30 cm length in the river of 



') L i 1 1 j e b o r g, Sveriges och Norges Fauna. Fiskarue. III, p. 392. 

 -) T r 5^ b om, delivery at the 8th German Fishculturists Coufereuce 

 in Danzig 1890. Cirkulär 1891, p. 30. 



■') F. Trybom: Uppvandrande ålyugel (Svensk Fiskeri-Tidskrift. 

 9:e årg. 1900, p. 160. 



