THE COD 95 



in 1904 in the catches, and subsequent investigations have 

 confirmed their conchisions that 1904 was an extraordinarily 

 * good cod year ', just as it was a good herring year, and a good 

 haddock year. In 1913, moreover, Dr. Hjort noticed an 

 unusually large number of one-year-old baby cod along the 

 northern coast of Norway ; and scale reading now shows that 

 the 1912 brood — again as in the case of herrings and haddock — 

 was especially numerous. What could be the reason ? The 

 first thing was to discover whether the spawners in 1904 had 

 deposited an unusually large number of eggs. This could be 

 tested, for in the Lofoten Islands every year during the spawning 

 season large quantities of cod roe are salted. It is, of course, 

 possible that the demand for this commodity is fixed at a certain 

 limit which it would not be profitable to exceed. Or possibly 

 barrels are not available to cope with a sudden expansion of 

 the cure. Otherwise it would be natural to expect to find that 

 in 1904 an unusual amount of roe w^as salted. As a matter of 

 fact the statistics of the trade do not show that the ' pack ' of 

 cod-roe fluctuates at all in sympathy with the fluctuations in 

 the numbers of cod fry. And Dr. Hjort has concluded that 

 there is no evidence that an unusual amount of spawn w^as 

 produced in 1904 or in 1912. So one possible explanation w^as 

 eliminated. 



Both Sars and the Americans had noticed that storms of wind 

 from particular directions cast great numbers of cod-eggs 

 ashore. Perhaps 1904 was unusually free from such storms ? 

 Could that be the explanation ? The Norwegians think not. 

 The number of eggs thus destroyed are, they think, negligible 

 in comparison with the enormous numbers produced. Moreover, 

 the Norwegian herrings, whose eggs are fixed to the bottom 

 at 40 to 100 fathoms, could obviously not be affected in this 

 manner. Their fry were, like the cod, unusually numerous in 

 1904, and it was reasonable to suppose that like effects were 

 due to like causes. The small fry were not overcrowded. There 

 was plenty of room for them all. For they were well fed and 

 in perfect condition. 



The problem then resolved itself into discovering some 

 particularly favourable circumstance which had reduced the 

 mortality either among the eggs or the larvae. While Damas 

 and Hjort were towing their plankton nets over the Lofoten 

 spawning grounds in February or March, they found that as 

 a rule their catches consisted entirely of cod-eggs, with a few 

 of the copepods {Calanus finmarchicus) which the Finner wdiales 

 eat so largely. But sometimes in April, the tow-nets were 

 suddenly filled with a brown mass. This on examination 



