1915] The Ottawa Naturalist. 141 



European experts and scientists, Dr. Hjort, Director of Nor- 

 wegian Fisheries, Christiania. 



Dr. Hjort, who speaks very perfect English, illustrated 

 his remarks bv a fine series of stereopticon views, including 

 Norwegian coast scenery, fishing fleets, catches of fish, and 

 charts and diagrams. He began by showing how the quaint 

 fishing boats of the ancient Viking type have been replaced by 

 decked vessels, and later by large steam "drifters". Fishermen 

 had, said Dr. Hjort, a general idea as to the dates, each season, 

 when schools of herring and other fish appeared, and the grounds 

 usually frequented by them. But there was always uncertainty 

 and the varying abundance or scarcity of fish were regarded as a 

 mvstery. The causes were unexplained To remove this un- 

 certainty scientific researches of a systematic nature were com- 

 menced 12 or 15 years ago. The result has been that the 

 causes of the fluctuations has in many ways been determined, 

 the migrations and resorts of the fish ascertained, and a number 

 of splendid new fishing areas discovered. 



By means of townets, the floating eggs of fishes like the 

 cod, haddock, torsk, and ling, and the myrials of surface- 

 haunting young fry, have been captured in varying quantities. 

 It was found that the number of eggs and young fish, per 

 square metre of water, most accurately indicated the quantity of 

 adult fish in the deeper waters below. If 4,000 eggs were 

 counted, in one square metre, in one locality, and only forty 

 eggs in one square metre in another locality, the fish were 

 approximately ten times more plentiful in the former locality. 

 This quantitative method has proved most reliable. Vast 

 numbers of eggs and fry were taken in localities, not regarded 

 by the fishermen as good fishing grounds; but on operating there 

 these new fishing areas yielded great catches. 



The study of the races, and what are called "year classes", 

 as well as the discovery of the age of fish bv the means of rings 

 of growth on the scales, had given most valuable and striking 

 results. By using "drift nets" of various meshes herring, for 

 example, had been obtained showing great differences. The 

 herring of Norway, on the whole, is a larger fish, at the same 

 age, than the Scottish and English herring, and there was 

 practically no intermingling, a diagonal line drawn from a point 

 east of the Faroes down to the middle of the North Sea, separat- 

 ing the two race types. But local varieties also occurred. 

 Large herring, fat herring and small herring, as experience 

 showed, occur with great regularity. Thus from January to 

 April, large spawners occur off the south-west coast of Norway, 

 whereas a little further north such large herring occur from 

 October to January. Fat, immature herring and small herring 



