22 



On p. 42 Johs. Schmidt states: "the Hue from Ingolfshof9i, which gives a 

 good picture of the momentary condition in the ocean south of Iceland, shows 

 that OU open oceanic coasts such as that at South Icelaud belts or zones out from 

 the land can be distinguished, which differ as to their contents of floating eggs 

 and 3'oung fish. These belts are there as follows: 



I. Nearest to land (in the surface of the shallow water) appear quantities 

 of pelagic eggt< and the tmy yomtg of species ivhich hare demersal eggs (herring, Mal- 

 lotiis, sand-eels etc). 



II. Further from the land (over somewhat greater depths) are found uo 

 pelagic eggs, Ijut the tiny young of species which have pelagic eggs (gadoids and 

 flat-fishes) as well as the larger yoimg from. demersal eggs; these last disappear 

 gradually as we go furtlier out giving place to the older young from pelagic eggs. 



III. Furthest from land, even out over the greatest depths, are found the 

 young of the Norway haddock (Sehastes) ..." 



I shall endeavour to use this belt-grouping of Johs. Schmidt for our home- 

 waters. The helt last meutioned I leave out of regard, as it falls outside the area 

 in which we have the opportunity to make investigations. Belts I and II remaiu. 

 At Iceland these belts are caused by the coastal water tendiug offshore and carrying 

 with it the pelagic eggs and young, which are thus during development removed 

 further and further from the coast. The conditions are more complicated in the 

 Danish waters. As the water-layers bearing the eggs and young fish approach 

 the bottom in the direction from the North Sea in towards the true Baltic, the 

 distribution of the pelagic eggs and young is effected not only by the outgoing 

 surface-current but also by the bottomcurrent moving in the opposite direction. 

 In the intermediate parts of the Danish waters we thus have a region from which 

 the pelagic eggs and young are carried either in the one or the other direction. 

 This region, which embraces the Great Belt and the Sound with their exteusions 

 towards the north and south, corresponds approximately to Belt I; it contains 

 numerous pelagic fish eggs and the pelagic young from demersal eggs, but only 

 a few of the tiny young from the pelagic eggs. 



If we follow the surface-current out through the Kattegat, we find condi- 

 tions in the Skager Rak which approximate nearest to those of Schmidt's Belt II. 

 There are pelagic eggs in the Skager Rak certainly; but they are not, especially 

 in the first months of the year, so numerous there as in the Kattegat and Great 

 Belt (see p. 10) and the stock of pelagic young in the Skager Rak is composed 

 essentially of the young from pelagic eggs. 



If we now turn to the uuder-current, we see that it must sooner or later, 

 in its deep course through Danish waters, come to include the water-layers bearing 

 the eggs and young. We must therefore expect, that by following the under- 

 current we shall come to regions which belong to Schmidt's Bolt II. We meet 

 such regions in faet at piaces, where the current ceases to fiow on account of 

 unevenness in the bottom, as in the western part of the western Baltic. Here 

 however we have not only Belt II represeuted but also Belt I, as we find pelagic 

 eggs in quantities and also numerous pelagic young from both demersal and 

 pelagic eggs. 



If we follow the under-current iuto the true Baltic and seek there for a 



