BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 269 



age yield was 24,000,000 codfisl), eacli weigliiug on an average 4 kilo- 

 grams [8.8 poiuids]. The number of trading vessels was on an average 

 from aOO to COO. of which more than 100 were exclusively engaged in 

 supplying the fishermen with articles of food, clothing, and other neces- 

 sities of life. Liquor can be sold to the fishermen only by specially 

 licensed persons, one to every 400 or 500 fishermen. Owing to the 

 weather, fishing cannot be carried on every day, but generally on from 

 three to five days a week. The temperature of the atmosphere is, of 

 course, low; during the years 1879 to 1884 it varied during the season 

 only from — 2.2° to + 2.4° C. [about 28° to 3G^o Fahr.]. There are 

 on the coast regularly about 100 persons engaged in serving and amus- 

 ing the fishermen, such as phofographers, restaurant keepers, musicians, 

 and owners of panoramas and other shows. The majority of the fish 

 caught near the Lofoden Islands (about two-thirds to three-fourths) is 

 worked into "klip-fish," that is, the head is cut off, the backbone and 

 entrails are taken out, and the fish are then salted and dried. The re. 

 maining portion of the fish are dried without being salted, and are 

 called " stock-fish." Of these latter there are three kinds, namely, the 

 common "stock-fish," called "round-fish," of which only the head and 

 the entrails have been removed ; when the fish has been split length- 

 wise along tJie back, the backbone has been taken out, and the two 

 halves have been pressed asunder, it is called "rotscher" or "flack- 

 fish;" and the third and least valuable kind is the "sei" or dried Gadns 

 carhonarius. " Klip-fish," of course, fetches a higher price than " stock- 

 fish." 



Next to the fish the most important product of the Lofoden fisheries 

 is cod -liver oil. During the years 1875 to 1884 there were, on an aver- 

 age, produced j)er annum 26,500 barrels of common cod-liver oil and 

 2,440 barrels of fine (so-called medicinal) cod-liver oil. The roe of the 

 cod is salted and sold as bait to the French sardine fishers. Formerly 

 the heads were generally thrown into the sea or dried and used for 

 feeding the cattle. Of late years, however, buyers regularly visit the 

 fishing stations and buy the heads for guano factories. As early as 

 1878, 53 per cent of all the heads were used in guano factories. Ac- 

 cording to a calculation for the period 1876 to 1878, the total value of the 

 Norwegian cod fisheries was distributed as follows: The fish themselves, 

 73.3 per cent; liver and cod-liver oil, 18.3 per cent; roe, 7.7 per cent; 

 and heads, 0.7 per cent. 



The total annual value of the Lofoden fisheries from 1876 to 1884 has 

 averaged 6,200,000 crowns [.$1,661,600]. 



The spring cod fisheries (the "lodde" fisheries) in the Polar Sea are 

 likewise very important. From 1869 to 1884 there were on an average 

 engaged per annum 3,714 boats with 12,825 fishermen. Many of these 

 come there after the Lofoden fisheries have come to end. During the 

 last six years the average annual yield was 13,000,000, valued at about 

 2,500,000 crowns [$670,000]. Of late years the yield has fluctuated 



