570 



REPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



[38] 



differeuces in the stations, often have their implements placed in the 

 same waters. It will frequently happen, therefore, that while one fish- 

 erman, who lives in a certain place, is legally entitled to haul his gear, 

 another one who has his gear in the same waters may be forbidden to 

 do so, because he lives at a different station. It is es|)ecially during 

 the so-called partial sea- weather that so many different coiulitions, such 

 as size of boat and crew, ability of the men, and their acquaintance with 

 the water, distance of the gear from shore, situation of the place, cur- 

 rents, direction of the wind, condition of the fishery, «S:c., are to be con- 

 sidered in deciding to what extent the implements can be used, that 

 the question can be settled only by the boatmen themselves. 



Table XXXVI shows the average number of entire and partial storm- 

 bound days since 1875. This year tlie weather has been nearly like 

 the average of the last five years, and somewhat better than the aver- 

 age of the last four. On the other hand, the rough weather which 

 occurred at the close of January and the beginning of February, during 

 certain days, was unusuallj^ severe. The water, especially, was very 

 high. 



Table XXXVI.- 



-Arerage number of stonn-homid days, partial and entire, from Janunry 

 16 to April 14. 



Average number . 

 Average ptr cent 



7.8 



49 



3a 4 



43.1 



Altogether 15 boats and one vessel were lost, in which six men perished 

 while 71 were saved. The cause of the loss of the vessel at Henning 

 svair was dead calm combined with swell and current. The vessel was 

 crushed, but the crew, consisting of five men, was saved. By other 

 accidents three men were lost — one in Kabelvaag by a chance shot, one 

 in Stamsund while trying in a state of intoxication to cross a foot-bridgv, 

 and one in Balstad through the sinking of his overloaded boat. Of 

 those who perished by shipwreck at se », five lived in Stamsund. and 

 one in Moskena^s. The fishing season jnst closed has been the mosr 

 fortunate since 1860 with regard to loss of human life at sea. The num- 

 ber of shipwrecks, on the other hand, was nearly as large as in 187G and 

 1878, when 43 and 10 men were lost, respectively, and at the same time 

 considerably larger than in 1875, when 17 men were lost. Tabh; 

 XXXVII states the time, place, cause, &c. (of loss), since 1875. This 

 is based upon a form employed by i>astor Eilert Sundt, in his time, and 



