[47] 



THE LOFFODEN FISHERY IN 1880. 

 Table XLVI b. 



579 



Apr. 6 



12 



Svolvaer 



Water temperature. 



Condition of fisheiy. 



Depth, 30 fathoms. 



Storvaagen 

 Svolvaer . . . 



3.50 



5. 25 Very good. 



4. 50 Holiday. 



3. 75 ! Very good. 



4.00 Holiday. 



4.00 



2.50 I 



3.00 I 



3.25 Irregular; mostly good. 



::;:::; / 



.5.00 



As the observatious at Lodiiigeu in May, last year, agreed in the 

 main with those taken at Loifoden in A])ril, so also the observations at 

 Lodingen on the 5th of January, this year, give the same result as in 

 Svolvaer on January 30 ; therefore the observation of the temperature 

 of the water which has been conducted from January, 1879, to April, 

 1880, may be regarded as a continuous series. 



The observations this year, as well as last, show that, as a rule, tliere 

 is a rather sharp limit between a colder and a warmer stratum of water, 

 while the mass of the layer increases and diminishes considerably in a 

 comparatively sliort time. This fall of temperature appears not to have 

 extended to as great depth as last year ; the lowest temperature observed 

 at 60 fathoms was 2.15, and, at 50 and 40 fathoms, 1.75, while this year 

 the temperatures were 5.25, i.OO, and 2.50, respectively. In February 

 and March a temperature as low as 2.25 has not been observed farther 

 down than 20 fatlioms from the surface in 80 fathoms of water, and it 

 has been notice<l only twice in the .same depth of water 35 fathoms from 

 the surface. It is possible, however, that observations taken between 

 the 3d and the 10th of March would have given a different result; for 

 the water appears to have been coldest this year at that time, although, 

 because of the fre(]uent and sometimes considerable changes at diifer- 

 ent depths, it is difHcult to arrive at a definite conclusion about the 

 subject. 



(Joncerning the influence of the temi)erature of the water upon the 

 fishery, allow me to state the arguments for and against this assump- 

 tion. 



The following statements favor the assumption : 



1. This year the fish were always found either near the surfa'ce or in 

 comparatively shallow water, and since the temperature at these depths 

 was both rather uniform and rather high, at all events, in comparison 



