148 BULLETIN OP THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



I therefore take the liberty to express my opinion to the effect (hat, in 

 spite of all the uncertainty which still seems to be connected with arti- 

 ficial hatching as a means of aiding the sea fisheries, it is in the highest 

 degree desirable that experiments in this direction should be made, 

 and the sooner the better. But if good results are expected, these ex- 

 periments should be made on a great scale. We should not rest satis- 

 fied to hatch a few hundred thousand fish, but many millions. On ac- 

 count of the great fecundity of salt-water fish, hatching on such a scale 

 is by no meaus an impossibility. 



Christiania, October 31, 1882. 



OPINION OF PEOF. O. O. SAES. 



After having conferred with Captain Dannevig relative to his plan of 

 counteracting the steady decrease of fish noticed during the last few 

 years in the neighborhood of Arendal and on other parts of our coast, 

 by the artificial hatching of salt-water fish, especially cod, I shall, as 

 requested, express my opinion as to the practicability and the possible re- 

 sults of such experiments. I have already, in the first report made to 

 the department on the practical and scientific investigations made by 

 me near the Loffoden Islands, during the winter of 1864, expressed the 

 opinion that possibly the artificial hatching of cod roe might yield im- 

 portant practical results; and in the following report, for 1S65, I have 

 treated this subject more fully and have given various hints for the 

 guidance of persons who might desire to make experiments in this di- 

 rection. It is my opinion that this matter deserves our undivided at- 

 tention, and that, under certain circumstances, the artificial hatching of 

 salt-water fish will have the same practical importance for our coast 

 fisheries as the hatching of fresh-water fish for the fresh-water fisher- 

 ies. With a view to obtaining greater certainty as regards this mat- ' 

 ter it will be necessary that a first attempt should be made, and that 

 this attempt should be on so large a scale as to give some reasonable 

 hope of visible results. Hitherto no such attempt has been made in Nor- 

 way, and probably for the reason that no one has been found willing to 

 devote his entire energy, talents, and time to the subject. I therefore 

 consider it exceedingly fortunate that a gentleman has come forward 

 who has seriously determined to solve this important problem in a prac- 

 tical manner. Captain Dannevig, is a gentleman of intelligence, who 

 combines a deep interest in the cause with great energy and a practi- 

 cal knowledge of everything pertaining to the fisheries, and who there- 

 fore offers all the requisite conditions for making the experiment in an 

 entirely satisfactory manner, provided he can secure the necessary 

 assistance and guidance. As regards the practicability of this experi- 

 ment, I have — as will be seen from my reports referred to above — 

 by experiments of my own, made on a small scale, proved beyond a 

 doubt that the artificial hatching of cod roe is not only entirely prac- 

 ticable, but even connected with comparatively less difficulty than the 



