[47] 



THE LOFFODEN FISHERY IN 1880. 

 Table XLVI b. 



579 



As the observations at Lodinj^eu in May, last year, agreed in the 

 main with those taken at Loffoden in April, so also the observations at 

 Ijodingen on tlie otli of January, this year, give the same result as in 

 Svolvaer on J:iuuary 30 ; therefore the observation of the temperature 

 of the water which has been conducted from January, 1879, to Ai)ril, 

 1880, may be regarded as a continuous series. 



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

 is a rather sharj) limit between a colder and a wanner stratum of water, 

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

 comparatively short time. This fall of temperature ai)i)ears 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 10 fiithoms, 1.75, while this year 

 the temperatures were 5.25, 1.00, and 2.50, respe<-tively. In February 

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

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

 has been noticed 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(iuent and sometimes considerable changes at diifer- 

 e.nt depths, it is difficult to arrive at a definite conclusion about the 

 subject. 



(Concerning 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 i'ound either near the surface or in 

 comparatively shallow water, and since the temperature at these depths 

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



