BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 437 



152— ARTIFICIAL HATCHING OF SALT-WATER FISH AND LOB- 



8TEB8 IN NOKWAY.* 



By G. UI. DAJVNEVIG. 



[From his report on the London Fisheries Exhibition.] 



1 take this opportunity to report briefly what has been done in Nor- 

 way, and what we intend to do if the necessary funds can be raised. 

 The establishment for hatching salt-water fish is now (1883) in course 

 of construction and will be completed in autumn. The ground covered 

 by the building is 1,200 square feet. This building, besides affording 

 room for machinery, an office, &c, will have room enough to place ap- 

 paratus sufficient for holding about 80,000,000 eggs. It is intended to 

 put the establishment into operation as early in the spring of 1884 as 

 possible ; that is to say, as soon as mature roe can be obtained. It is of 

 course impossible to foretell the result, and I must therefore repeat what 

 I have stated frequently : " The possibility of hatching fish eggs has been 

 demonstrated so frequently that we need not entertain any doubt on 

 that subject." How far local circumstances on our coast will prove a hin- 

 drance, and how far the hatching, if successful, will improve the fish- 

 eries, are questions that can be answered only by experience ; and it 

 is therefore desirable that the experiments should be made on so large 

 a scale that obvious results may be obtained. The experiments will in 

 the beginning relate only to cod, but later it is the intention to extend 

 them also to other salt-water fish. But as it would seem like poor 

 economy to let an establishment like the one under construction stand 

 idle during uine months of the year, when mature roe of good food-fish 

 can be obtained at almost any time, the experiments will probably be 

 continued during spring and summer by hatching flounders, and per- 

 haps mackerel. Flounders for this purpose could easily be obtained 

 from Denmark ; and there is reason to suppose that eventually we shall 

 succeed in importing impregnated roe instead of the live fish containing 

 the roe. Attempts in this direction will be made during the coining 

 winter; and it should be kept in mind what an immense advantage it 

 would be to be able to ship the impregnated roe of salt-water fish in con- 

 siderable quantities at a small expense. 



The hatching of lobster eggs, however, should especially engage our 

 attention during summer, all the more as the gathering of the roe may 

 be carried on to any extent whatever and with very little expense ; 

 moreover, we get the roe already impregnated, and ready for our experi- 

 ments, which of course is a matter of no little importance. The ques- 

 tion as to the possibility of hatching lobster eggs after they have been 

 separated from the mother lobster I consider as satisfactorily solved 



# Translated from the Danish by Herman Jacobson. 



