SALT-WATER FISHERIES OP NORWAY. 681 



fishing of these young fish with drag-nets as hurtful; but the same 

 may be said of every other coast; but as the hiw proposed in the above- 

 mentioned memorials only refers to fishing in the larger fiords where 

 the codfish must be supposed to bo rather stationary, it would not 

 apply so well to this coast which is so open and unbroken. From what 

 I have learned, drag-nets are rarely or never used here. Frequent con- 

 versations with fishermen have convinced me that there is no general 

 dissatisfaction with this kind of fishing-implement, which is scarcely 

 known here, but that there are complaints of an excessive use of hooks 

 and lines. With the exception of the Christiania fiord, drag-net fishing 

 has only been carried on to any extent in and near the Langesunds 

 fiord, chiefly owing to local causes (the many quiet shallow inlets with 

 even, sandy bottoms), which have made the use of this net more conven- 

 ient here than on the other portions of the coast, which, both on account 

 of the nature of the bottom and the open or unbroken character of the 

 coast itself, is scarcely suitable for any extensive drag-net fishing. 



Under these circuuistances, I see for the present no necessity for the 

 government to take any steps in the matter, and from another reason 1 

 would most decidedly advise not to make any law at least for the 

 present. During my stay on the Langesunds fiord I learned that the 

 regulations made in former times regarding the limitation in the use of 

 the drag-net in the Langesunds fiord and its neighborhood, which are 

 fully justified by local circumstances, do by no means produce the 

 intended result, for I was told that drag-net fishing is carried on now 

 to the same extent as before the law was passed. This is easily ex- 

 plained by the fact that there is no supervision whatever, although such 

 supervision is absolutely required, since drag-net fishing is chiefly going 

 on during the night or very early in the morning (before the break of 

 day). Before there can be any talk of more rigid regulations of the 

 drag-net fishing on coasts where the carrying out of such regulations 

 would be doubtful, there must be some guarantee that these regulations 

 are really observed, at any rate in those places where there is urgent 

 necessity for such regulations. If this is not done, such rigid laws, far 

 from doing any good, will do positive harm, as the moral influence on 

 the sense of justice of the common people will be very bad, if there are 

 laws which only exist on paper and can be transgressed with impunity 

 at any time. 



IIL 



EXTEACTS FEOM PEOF. G. O. SAES'S EEPOET ON THE 

 NOEWEGIAI^ ATLANTIC EXPEDITION OF 1876. 



1. — ZOOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Among the various scientific problems to be solved by this expedition 

 the most important was the examination of the biological condition of 



