SALT-WATEK FISHERIES OF NORWAY. G91 



entirely confinned his previous supposition regarding this matter 

 During the whole voyage from Norway to the Faroe Islands the sea 

 Avas everywhere fdled with enormous masses of the so-called "red her- 

 ring food" (almost exclusively CaJanun finmarchicus), which are well 

 known as the favorite food of the herring; and it deserves to be men- 

 tioned that the quantity of these animals seemed to increase the farther 

 we got away from the coast and reached its height at a distance of about 

 twenty miles. Besides these animals we likewise observed occasionally 

 farther out at sea another kind of a beautiful blue " herring food" [Pon- 

 tella Pattersonii), which seemed to belong more to the Atlantic, and which 

 in contradistinction to the former might be called " mackerel food," as 

 it probably forms the principal food of the mackerel at those seasons of 

 the year when they are not near the coast. This " food " is also occa- 

 sionally found among the "red herring food" near the coast, especially 

 during rich summer-herring fisheries. When the expedition took a 

 northerly course from the Faroe Islands towards Iceland, it was very 

 striking that the food seemed to have disappeared from the sea almost 

 entirely. The water had at the same time assumed a very different 

 color. While from Norway to the Faroe Islands it had a deep blue 

 color, It now had a light grayish-green color. This peculiar circum- 

 stance, whose deiinite explanation has not yet been found, but with 

 which the different currents of the sea have certainly something to do 

 seems to be closely connected with the occurrence of the "food," and 

 will form a subject of investigation for the uext expedition. Professor 

 Sars says that he had a very excellent chance to observe this phenom- 

 enon from his state-room, whose window was on a level with the water. 

 Whenever the waves covered the window his whole state-room was 

 formerly filled with a dark blue light, whilst now it was a bright 

 greenish light. This color remained as long as the vessel was in Ice- 

 land waters, and here the sea did not contain any food whatever. Only 

 when on our return voyage we approached the coast of Norway the sea 

 again showed its blue color and was full of " food." 



It must, however, be supposed that the conditions observed during 

 our voyage are not always the same, as some reports say that the sea 

 near Iceland is peculiarly rich in "food." It seems as if the steady 

 westerly gales which prevailed during the expedition, in connection 

 with the strong eastward current, had brought the great masses of 

 food nearer to the coast of Norway. If this should really have been 

 the case, which, however, can scarcely be proved conclusively, it would, 

 in connection with Professor Sars's theory regarding the migrations of 

 the herrings, be an indication that the spring-herring fisheries would 

 again be successful in the near future. It may be considered as abso- 

 lutely certain that wherever there is "herring food" herrings will be 

 found. Although there was unfortunately no chance to corroborate this 

 by direct investigations made by means of floating nets, the indications 

 were by no means wanting that there were herrings where the " food " 



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