THE COD FISHERIES NEAR THE LOFFODEN ISLANDS. 579 



bottom, but at a greater or less distance from it, whicli can easily be 

 inferred from the manner in which the fish are caught in the nets. 



Reddish spots, looking like inflamed places, whicli are always found 

 on the belly of the spawner after spawning, indicate, however, that the 

 fish occasionally go to the bottom, probably to rub against stones so as to 

 aid the roe in coming out. That the spawning does not go on all at once, 

 but that it takes some time, may be seen from the ftict that the eggs 

 toward the inner end of the roe-bags are far less developed than those 

 near the outlet. Uow long a time it takes I have not yet been able t</< 

 find out, but probably several days. 



During the time which elapses from its first approach to the coast till 

 tlie spawning is finished, the codfish gets very lean, partly in conse- 

 quence of its taking but little food, partly in consequence of the spawning 

 itself, which always weakens fish. Its greediness after the spawning is 

 over is therefore very remarkable. I have been told that the codfish 

 about this time not only swallow medium-sized fish, but also the entrails 

 of fish thrown into the sea by the fishermen with the heads of the fisJi 

 yet hanging to them. In some cases the heads have been so large that 

 it could not swallow them, and they stuck fast in its jaws. In connec- 

 tion with this I will mention the idea quite prevalent among the fisher- 

 men, that the codfish before it goes out to sea fills its stomach with stones, 

 or, as they say, " takes in ballast, because by losing so much roe, or milt, 

 it has become too light for undertaking its long journey to the deep 

 waters." Improbable as this sounds, there may after all be some cause 

 for it. It is quite possible that the famished codfish in its greediness 

 has occasionally swallowed stones along with aquatic animals sticking to 

 them. 



After the spawning is over, the codfish do not stay very long on the 

 elevated bottoms, but hasten to get to their usual places of sojourn, 

 there to find the food which they require after the long period of fasting. 



THE GOING OUT. 



This phase of the Loffoden fisheries is likewise of great importance, 

 and it has often been said that the best fishing has been had during the 

 going out of the codfish. This applies as a general rule more to the 

 western islands, where the elevated bottoms are more extensive than in 

 the east, where they often form comparatively speaking only a narrow 

 ridge along the coast. Two circurastanc€S, however, must be taken into 

 consideration, which have a great influence on the fislieries at this par- 

 ticular period. It has been observed that the codfish when leaving the 

 coast either go in a straight line to the nearest deep, and this is unfa- 

 vorable to the fisheries, or that they go along the western elevated bot- 

 toms. In the latter case the fisheries near the western islands may be 

 very productive, as the schools may be followed from one fishing-sta- 

 tion to the other, and large numbers be caught before they reach tho 

 deep. 



