34 



no doubt that it was the large sharks that had torn the hook-line asunder. 

 There must have been a great unmber of sharks in this sea, and as a couple 

 of hauls with otter-seine gave only, of fish, a few, small common dåbs, I 

 should suppose that nearly all other fishes had been driven away by them. 

 This seemed to be au old story to the fishermen on tlie western shores; they 

 even think that the shark extends its razzias as far as Nissum Bredning. 

 So much is certain, that many of the plaice which immigrate into this sea 

 in the spring, bear a mark in the shape of a horse-shoe, often bloody, as if 

 a shark or another large fish had gaped over it, but let it go again. 



The dogfish extend tlieir razzias as far dowu as the Great Belt. We 

 get them liere on hooks, ou deeper water, when we fish for cod. On the 

 29. April 1899, for instance, we set 300 hooks baited with herrings, on c. 

 17 fathoms of water, east of the bell-buoy on Lillegnmden (Fyens Hoved). 

 The catch was 51 picked dogfish, 4 common dåbs, 1 long rough dab, 5 rays 

 (R. radiafaj, no codfish. The dogfish had codfish, whitings, sprats, and 

 eel-pouts in their stomachs, but also great numbers of comb-bearers (Pieuro- 

 brachiaj. The dogfish have often many comb-bearers (Pleurohrachia) in their 

 stomachs; but, of course, these are not their principal food. 



A few dogfish were taken all the summer through, on deep water, in 

 the uorthern part of the Great Belt, and the S. August, S. E. of Sprogø, on 

 15—25 fathoms of water, we took on 400 hooks 21 codfish, 2 whitings, 16 

 common dåbs, 1 grey gurnard, 5 rays, 10 picked dogfish. The 30. August 

 we caught 6 dogfish as far down as Vengeance-Grunden, also on hooks. In 

 September a few were taken at Hjælmen. As late as the 10. October, 1899, 

 7 dogfish were caught ou 400 hooks east of Sprogø. 



The dogfish then stayed here the whole seasou of 1899, from April till 

 October, when the Sallingsimd was laid up; and if we had particularly looked 

 for them, we could certainly have caught many. It was, however, particu- 

 larly codfish we were fishing for. — 



In 1900 we also fished for codfish, partly at the same piaces as in 

 1899. Ou the 26. May we caught one picked dogfish east of Lillegrunden, 

 where last year Ave had taken 51. Not till 21. August we again took 3 at 

 Sprogø; but several of the codfish ou the hooks had been bitten by dogfisli, 

 even so that sonietimes the head only was left. 30. August we took in a 

 plaice-seine with otters, east of Fyenshoved, 3 dogfish besides a number of 

 flatfish. Ou the 11. of September we set 600 hooks ou the usual cod fishing- 

 ground, S. E. of Sprogø, and caught 49 picked dogfish, 69 codfish, 1 whiting, 

 11 common dåbs, and 3 rays; now the sharks were common here also. 



