34 



in deej) water in ihe Great Helt, hut on algal ground near the coast we made a 

 single haul and obtained one whiting yotmg. 



Later in September we found the whiting young in the true Baltic and in 

 the Sound, as can be seen from the following journal extracts: 



I). 16—9—04. Møen clifEs in W. N. W., ca. 20 miles, 24 fm. (Tab. 1, true Baltic), soft 

 bottom. Young fish trawl on bottom and intermediate, 18 minutes: 1 whiting, 12 cm., some Go- 

 bius minutvis, adiilts and young, no fish otherwise. 



D. 17—9—04. Stevn lightliou.se in N. W. "/^ N., 4 miles, ca. 10 fm. (true Baltic), hard 

 ground. Small youugfish trawl ("mud-trawl") on hottom, 5 minutes: 1 uéHiiu/, 12 cm., .some Go- 

 Mus minufus adults and young, no other fish. 



D. 18 — 9 — 04. S. of Hveen, 5 miles, 10 fm. (Sound), hard ground. Small young-fish 

 trawl on liottom, 5 minutes: 1 irhiting, 11 om., otherwise only specimens of various Gobius species 

 and Ajihi/(i pcllucida. 



1). 18—9—04. N. of Barselnik, 7—8 fm. (Sound), Zosfcra and algæ. Small English 

 trawl, 30 minutes: 6 whiting, 9 — 12 cm., many adult fishes. 



D. 19—9—04. OH Sletten, c. 4 fm. (Sound), 6 Chorda Jiluiii in quantities. Danish trawl, 

 10 minutes: 1 irhiting, 9 cm., many other fishes. 



As can be seen from the stations mentioned, the irhiting young were found 

 at the end of Sepfeniher in the true Baltic and the Sound hotli in deep water and at 

 the coast, but alivays in hottont-haids. 



In Octoher we took 1 whiting young, 11 cm., in tlie Great Belt on the 

 lOth, and 2 whiting, 12 and 14 cm., in the Little Belt on the 12th. At the first 

 place the bottom was covered with algæ and the depth was not great, ca. 4 fm , 

 in the Little Belt however the depth at our station was ca. 11 fm. 



The few whiting young we toolc in Octoher tvere thus found partly in deep 

 water partly at the coast. 



Reviewing our catches and non-catches of whiting young throughout the 

 year, we see that the whiting young were found (1) in April only in the Shager 

 Bal; (2) in the first days of June in the Skager RaJc and cdso Kattegat norfh of 

 Læsø, (3) at the end of June right down to the south boundary of the Great Belt but 

 no further to the south or east, (4) at the end of August in the western part of the 

 western Baltic, (5) at the end of September in the true Baltic. 



At the same time we find that the transition to the boftom-stage occurred in 

 July. Before Jtdy tve could only find the pelagic young and after July only the 

 bottom-stages. 



If we mark out on a chart the hmits of the occurrence of the eggs, pelagic 

 young and bottom-stages in 1904, we see that the whiting during development widens 

 its area of distribution. This is in direct contrast to the cod, which during develop- 

 ment retreats to the north and west. 



There must therefore be other conditions which coutrol the distribution of 

 the whiting than those which force the cod young away from the Danish waters 

 or into corners of these. Both species have pelagic eggs and a pelagic stage for 

 the young, and are therefore completely under the influence of the currents in the 

 first period of development, but there is this difference, that the cod eggs appear 

 in the first months of the year, its pelagic young already in February, whereas in 

 1904 we have not observed the whiting young before the end of April. Tlie cod 

 young are already in. the bottom-stage in the course of June; whereas all the 

 whiting young in June and the greater number in July were still pelagic. 



