578 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



undoubtedly destroyed in this way, but this does uot signify much if we 

 consider the enormous masses which are probably lost in other ways. It 

 seems that not only other aquatic animals but likewise the codfish them- 

 selves, when going out, destroy a great deal of the roe which fills the 



sea. 



The latter case must therefore be considered more favorable for the 

 future Loffoden fisheries than if the roe is driven out to sea. Although 

 this will uot directly hinder the development of the young fish, it is a 

 great question whether the roe, when the wind again blows toward the 

 coast, will be driven to the same place from which it came ; and it may 

 happen that it is driven to coasts which are unfavorable for fishing, so 

 that probably the greater portion of the young fish of that year will be 

 lost to the Loffoden. It is likewise very fortunate if the cod, before 

 spawning, comes as near to the coast as possible, especially if the spawn- 

 ing go on in deep fiords sheltered from wind and current, of which 

 there are not a few in the Loffoden Islands. The question might even 

 be raised, if nature might not be assisted in this respect, so as to pre- 

 vent the occurrence of unfavorable years, which exercise such a depress- 

 ing influence not only on those specially engaged in the fisheries, but on 

 the whole country. I here refer to the artificial hatching of fish. It is not 

 a new idea to apply this successful discovery also to salt-water fish, for 

 it has been mentioned and discussed more than once, although the diffi- 

 culties in the way of carrying out the idea have been many and seem- 

 ingly insurmountable, difliculties chiefly occasioned by the manner in 

 which the spawning process takes place, and the great depth of water 

 which seems requisite for the development of the eggs. Nothing of the 

 kind seems to be in the way here of carrying out this idea, so that it 

 would be the proper locality for taking a step in this direction. The 

 trouble would be very small, as nothing would have to be done but to 

 place the artificially-impregnated eggs in suitable and sheltered places 

 (I know many such in the Loffoden Islands), and then leave them to them- 

 selves. 



There would be no difficulty in getting together a considerable num- 

 ber of eggs in a comparatively short time, considering the enormous 

 quantity contained in one spawner. Leuwenhoek estimates that a me- 

 dium-sized codfish contains no less than 9J million eggs. A single cod- 

 fish may thus produce a number of fish almost as large as tbat of a 

 whole Loffoden fishing-season. During the investigations which I in- 

 tend to make next year, I expect to give special attention to this matter. 

 Eegarding the way in which the codfish acts during the spawning 

 process, I have learned the following : After having kept remarkably 

 <iuiet just previous to it, the codfish becomes restless as soon as the roe 

 ^as reached its maturity. In dense schools, male and female mixed 

 together, they will now rapidly swim hither and thither on the elevated 

 bottoms, the females dropping the eggs and the males the milt. This 

 fepawning process of the codfish is as a general rule not going on at the 



