568 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



the East Loflfoden it slopes more abruptly than in the West Lofifoden, 

 where for long distances scarcely any difference can be noticed. 



Eegarding the formation of the bottom farther out at sea but little can 

 be said, as our information is very limited. Only this is known, that at 

 a considerable distance from the coast (at least 8-12 [Norwegian] miles), 

 it rises considerably, so that the depth of water, in many places, is not 

 greater than on the elevated bottoms near the Loffoden Islands. This 

 portion of the sea, which at no very distant future will undoubtedly 

 become of great importance to our fisheries, is generally called the 

 " ocean - brid ge " (havbroen), and is said to extend at a certain distance 

 along the whole western coast of Norway as far as the North Cape. 

 Former investigations, however, have proved that this elevation does 

 not form a continuous ridge, but consists of a number of irregularly- 

 formed hills, separated by more or less broad valleys, in which, at any 

 rate during a portion of the year (summer), some fish gather in large 

 numbers. 



Although the Loffoden Islands are considerably north of the Arctic 

 Circle, the sea which laves them has by no means a complete Arctic 

 character, a fact which may readily be recognized by its fauna. The 

 cause of this is the same as that which gives to our whole country a 

 climate which, compared with its northern latitude, must be called a mild 

 one, viz, the Gulf Stream, whose influence in these islands is felt more 

 directly than on most other portions of our widely-extended coast. A 

 positive proof of this may be found in the fact that tropical shell-fruit 

 have repeatedly been washed ashore on the Loffoden Islands, and I 

 myself have gathered some. There is, however, another just as power- 

 ful stream, namely, the cold Polar stream coming from the Arctic 

 Sea, which in a southwesterly direction goes along the coast of Fin- 

 marken, and which empties into the west fiord through the many nar- 

 row channels which separate the Lofifoden Islands from each other. 

 These two streams are, so to speak, engaged in a constant combat, at 

 one time the one being more powerful and at another the other one. 

 This must, however, not be understood in the sense that the one could 

 either neutralize the other or hinder it in its course. Both streams pos- 

 sess their full power at all times, but their direction may be changed, 

 so that at one time the Gulf Stream is stronger near the coast, while at 

 another it is driven farther away from the coast by the Polar stream. 

 The rule seems to be that the Gulf Stream runs at a considerable dis- 

 tance from the coast, where its influence may be felt far north, even as 

 far as Spitzbergen, while the Polar stream seems in general to be nearer 

 the coast. When the wind is northerly and easterly, or also when 

 there is a calm, it will be found that (at any rate during winter), if we 

 except the small changes produced by the coming in and going out of 

 the tide, the stream has a southwesterly direction, or, as the saying is, 

 " going out." When there are southwestern storms or so-called " sea- 

 weather," the stream generally goes in the opposite direction. 



