THE COD FISHERIES NEAR THE LOFFODEN ISLANDS. 585 



were mature, but which, seen under the microscope, appear to be sur- 

 rounded by a thin covering, which contains the blood-vessels necessary 

 for the life of the egg, and which would prevent the fructifying parts 

 of the milt from entering the egg. 



2. Eggs, taken not only from live fish but likewise from such as have 

 been dead for a short time, will retain life and may be successfully 

 hatched. 



3. When the egg; has reached a certain stage of its development it is 

 not so tender, and can stand a good deal ot outside influence. I have 

 thus seen eggs successfully hatched which were entirely mouldy on the 

 outside. 



4. The above-mentioned principle also applies to the young fish which 

 have just come out of the eggs. As long as they have the umbilical 

 bag they can live a remarkably long time in impure water ; but as soon 

 as this bag has 'disappeared they become more tender, and as soon as 

 the gills have developed they will very soon die when placed in impure 

 water. 



5. The whole development of the egg does not occupy half the time 

 required for the salmon-egg. Even when the temperature is very low 

 it does not take more than eighteen days, and when the temperature is 

 higher it even takes less. 



6. Experiments have proved that by artificial impregnation nearly all 

 the eggs have become fit for hatching. When we remember that every 

 individual female codfish can on an average i)roduce 9,000,000 eggs, it 

 will be seen what an enormous number of productive eggs can be pro- 

 cured in a short time and without anj^ great trouble. Erom whi-.t has 

 been said before, it will also be seen that the impregnated eggs of the 

 codfish can be conveyed to a considerable distance without losing their 

 capacity of developing. 



Although I am of opinion that this matter is important enough to 

 deserve our full attention, I consider it premature as yet to make direct 

 propositions for carrying out the principles above mentioned on a large 

 scale. Most people will laugh at the "foolish" idea of artificially in- 

 creasing the number of fish in the vast ocean. But then people in the 

 beginning laughed at the idea of artificially raising fish in our lakes and 

 rivers. The results obtained are, however, already so great and palpa- 

 ble that even the greatest scoffers and skeptics have to give in to the 

 irresistible force of facts. Eor the present I can do nothing but point 

 to the above-quoted words of the famous Swedish naturalist, and in what 

 I said I only endeavored to show that none of the difficulties which are 

 in the way of artificial hatching are met with on our coasts, as far as 

 the codfish is concerned, and that, on the contrary, the idea seems quite 

 practicable. 



In my investigations concerning the development of the egg, I like- 

 wise learned to understand certain phases of the spawning process, 

 which formerly seemed to me quite inexplicable. It has thus been 



