THE COALFISH OR SAITHE 



101 



The Fry Stage 



Coalfish go to the bottom very much more quickly than cod. 

 For instance, the eggs and fry were found drifting by Schmidt 

 south of Iceland in the same water as those of the cod ; but the 

 saithe fry do not drift nearly so far round the south coast as 

 the cod ; and do not appear to get beyond Sigluf Bay — while 

 the cod are carried right on to the east coast by the current 

 (see Fig. 7). The fry drift shoreward in the Nortjfi Soa early in 



'^[■:- •^■24- AUG 



/' /^ ^'^Sifiorth Cape 



I Vestmannae I? 



M Coalfish 



Fig 7. — Relative numbers of coaljBsh and cod at the stage when the fish 

 cease to float at the surface with the current, and take to the bottom. Both 

 species spawn on the south-west coasts. The cod spend a long time at the 

 surface and are plentiful on the north and east coasts. The coalfish nearly all 

 go to the bottom while they are still off the south or west coast. (From 

 Depths of Ocean.) 



summer, and later appear to swim inshore up to September ; 

 they are found at the bottom, in places very far removed from 

 their spawning grounds, on the Scottish and Enghsh and 

 Norwegian coasts, and have been found (in September) even 

 out in the Arctic Deeps between Bear Island and Norway. No 

 very small fry have been found in the south of the North Sea 

 owing to the easterly set of the current, or in the Skagerrak — 

 where all the water salt enough to suit saithe eggs and fry is 

 at the bottom. The scales are easily read. 



