606 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



live in the same places as the herrings and similar small fish. But if 

 we ask where these places are, no definite answer can be returned, since 

 we do not know where the sea-herring stay during the time that they 

 are not near the coast for the purpose of spawning. I shall have occa- 

 sion to refer to this matter again, and give that opinion which I con- 

 sider as the most probable. 



The second point was, to examine the so-called " coming-in " fi^'a, 

 which in the opinion of the fishermen is different from the codfish, and 

 which, especially in the beginning of the fishing-season, is frequently 

 caught together with the common winter-codfish. I had already during 

 my first stay in the Loffbden Islands cursorily examined this fish, and 

 found that the only distinguishing mark which was mentioned, namely, 

 that the skin of its belly was light, while with the codfish it was darker, 

 was wanting in most instances. But as at that time I was not so well 

 acquainted with the normal appearance of the codfish as I am now, I 

 resolved to institute a careful comparison between the two fish, in order 

 to arrive at some certainty in this matter. In order to do this, I had 

 first to make myself acquainted with a number of individual codfish, 

 and therefore selected from among the fish brought to land the most 

 characteristic specimens, which 1 examined carefully, measuring them 

 and making accurate drawings of them. 



Having thus become thoroughly acquainted with the looks of the 

 codfish, I endeavored to get specimens of the so-called " coming-in " fish, 

 in order to institute comparisons between this and the former. The first 

 specimen I obtained appeared to have certain distinguishing peculiari- 

 ties of shape and color. The shape of the body was thicker and plumper 

 than in the codfish proper, the head was not so pointed, and rather 

 broader across the neck ; the color likewise differed from that of the cod- 

 fish proper, the main color being a distinct brownish-yellow, the num- 

 ber of dark spots was larger and extended farther down the sides. But 

 what had still greater weight, in my opinion, was the circumstance that 

 the teeth were smaller and fewer in number than in the codfish proper. 

 The specimen which I examined had just come out of the water, and 

 was quite fresh and in an excellent state of preservation. On opening- 

 it I found it to be an unusually fat female, with a remarkably large liver 

 and large fully-matured roe-bags. As regards the number of rays in 

 the fins and its general anatomy this fish was an exact counterpart of 

 the common codfish. 



With a view of still further examining this so-called "coming-in" 

 fish, I went to a place on the east side of Skraaven, where the elevated 

 bottom is somewhat narrower, and where "coming-in-' fish were said to 

 be found quite frequently among the common codfish. 



When I arrived, the fishermen were just hauling in a net, and I there- 

 fore resolved to see what fish were in this net. The fishermen pointed 

 out several fish, which in their opinion were not real codfish, but " com- 

 ing in " fish. Some of them were, as far as their shape and color was 



