SALT-WATER FISHERIES OF NORWAY. G93 



distance from tbe coast. Two of these lines go across tbc Northern 

 Sea, or across 20-24 degrees of lougitude. Observatious have also been 

 made at other points wherever there was anything of interest, thus in 

 some of our deep .fiords, the Saltenfiord, the Westfiord, and the Ulfs- 

 fiord north of Tromso. Our stay on the isolated volcanic islaud of 

 Jan May en, which lies far out in the Northern Sea, was of the greatest 

 interest both from a physical and biological point of view. We spent 

 a week on this island, examining its fauna, liora, and geology, as well 

 as the surrounding sea. The results obtained by these observations 

 will throw light in many directions and extend our knowledge of the 

 Northern Sea, with its peculiarly grand scenery. 



The dredge was altogether used twenty-nine times, and the trawl-net 

 eight times (occasionally both combined), and in most cases with a very 

 satisfactory result. Of all the hauls, twenty-four were made below 200 

 fathoms, fourteen below 500 fathoms, and six below 1,000 fathoms. The 

 greatest depth reached was about midway between Norway and Jan 

 Mayen, about 2,000 fathoms. Hauls were made from on board the ship, 

 both here and at Jan Mayen, and at different points of our northern 

 coast ; but quite frequently hauls were also made from a boat ; and impor- 

 tant additions were made to our knowledge of the arctic coast fauna. 

 Wherever there was a chance, the surface-net has been used, and a nuui- 

 ber of important observations have been made in this manner. 



I have already in my last report directed attention to the interesting 

 fact that the bottom of the Northern Sea as far as the 60th degree of 

 latitude embraces two faunas totally difi'erent in their character, the one 

 of purely arctic or glacial origin, the other chiefly containing southern 

 animals. It has also been mentioned that each of these faunas has its 

 distinctly-defined area at the bottom of the sea, without regard to the 

 degree of latitude, and often side by side, corresponding with the two 

 physically clearly-defined areas, the warm and the cold. Wherever the 

 bottom of the sea outside the outer banks slopes ofi" 300-400 fathoms, 

 the deep-water fauna of our coast- waters suddenly changes to the entirely 

 different and peculiar glacial fauna represented by gigantic and luxuri- 

 antly developed animal forms, some of which have been already ob- 

 served, but only very far north in the ice-filled waters of the polar regions. 

 This characteristic glacial fauna was of special interest to us, and it 

 yielded the most important scientific results. These results have 

 increased by our continued investigations of the cold area, and many 

 new and interesting animals have been discovered. Our knowledge of 

 the general character of the deep-water fauna, of its relation to the 

 faunas of other seas, and of the physical conditions on which the distribu- 

 tion of animal life at the bottom of the sea depends, has likewise been 

 greatly increased. 



In the extensive area of the Northern Sea, which was investigated by 

 us during this expedition, we found below a depth of 800 fathoms the 

 light plastic biloculina day with its limited but to a high degree pecu- 



