612 



REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



[2] 



but eveu surpasses the catch of the year 1877, which, uutil now, was the 

 largest known. The fishery in the Loffoden inspection district yielded 

 27,500,000, while in 1879 26,300,000 were caught there, and the aver- 

 age annual catch from 1869 to 1878 was about 21,800,000, with, how- 

 ever, a maximum in 1877 of 28,400,000. The fat herring fisheries, which 

 ever since 1870 have been decreasing, and which in 1879 did not yield 

 more than 443,000 hectoliters [l,257,012i bushels], increased greatly in 

 1880, and yielded not less than 720,000 hectoliters [2,043,000 bushels]. 

 Of this amount 440,000 hectoliters [1,248,500 bushels] were taken in 

 Loffoden and Vesteraalen inspection districts alone, and the great 

 majority of these — about 420,000 hectoliters [1,191,750 bushels] — were 

 caught in Eidstjord. 



For information concerning the prices of fish at the fishing stations 

 is given the following tabular synopsis : 



Cod fisheries (excepting with capelin) per 1,000 round fish. . 



Capelin fishery (lor cod) do . 



Pat herring - - per hectoliter* . . 



Sprat and otlier small herring fishery do 



Spring hemng fishery do 



Mackerel fishery ... per 1,000 round fish.. 



Salmon and sea trout fishery per kilogram f.. 



Lobster fishery per 1,000. . 



Oyster fishery per hectoliter* . . 



$84 15 

 52 26 

 1 54 

 1 49 



:79 



*0ne hectoliter equals 2 bushels, 3.35 pecks, or 26.417 wine gallons. 

 tOne kilogi-am equals 2.2046 pounds avoirdupois. 

 Jin the years 1876-78. 



The number of men engaged in the fisheries in 1880 was as follows : 

 The capelin fishery (for cod) employed 17,084 men against 18,990 in 

 1879, and 14,200 on the average during the years 1870-1878. In the 

 remaining cod fisheries 63,357 fishermen took part; the number in 1879 

 was 64,593, and in the decade 1869-1878 the average was about 52,000. 

 In the fat herring fisheries 35,130 fishermen were engaged this year as 

 against 32,476 in 1879. During the years 1876-'78, on the contrary, the 

 number of these fishermen was as high as 41,000. 



The average catch which fell to each fisherman for the year 1880^ 

 compared with 1879, was as follows. 



Fish yield. 



Quantity per 

 man. 



Money value 

 per man. 



Cod fisheries (except with capelin) 



Capelin fishery (for cod) 



Fat herring fishery bushels . 



Mackerel fishery with drag nets 



708 $41 81 



923 41 81 



38. 8 I 43 68 



, 948 52 53 



$46 36 

 34 57 

 31 89 

 53 4'i 



In conclusion, several tables, compiled principally from trade statis- 

 tics, are given, which show the exportation of fish products since 1856 

 and the prices obtained for tliem during the years 1871-1880. 



Christiania, September 29, 1882. 



