THE COD FISHERIES NEAR THE LOFFODEN ISLANDS. 625 



sea right up to the harbor of Bodo is thick with floating roe. There 

 can be no doubt that this is the roe of the cod ; but the question is, 

 where does this enormous mass of roe come from ? The general opinion 

 seems to be that it comes from the Loffoden,and is consequently brought 

 here by the current from the northwest. But, in the first place, it must 

 be borne in mind that the distance from Bodo to the nearest fishing- 

 station in the Loffoden is quite considerable, and secondly, that during 

 the above-mentioned winds the current will always be in such a direc- 

 tion that it could not possibly bring anything from the Loffoden. During 

 south and west winds the current generally goes from southwest to north- 

 east, or follows the coast in a northerly direction, coming in through the 

 different sounds between the outer islands. The roe can therefore not 

 come from the Loffoden, but must simply have come in from the sea out- 

 side of the outer islands, where, consequently, large schools of winter- 

 cod must spawn every year. 1 also heard that during the preceding 

 summer enormous masses of cod ^hnorV* (^J year old codj had been 

 observed here all along the shore, even close to the harbor of Bodo. 

 This has probably not only been the case that year, but is undoubtedly 

 the general rule here, as well as in Loffoden. Only as long as no scien- 

 tific observations had been made or published, people did not make any 

 distinction between the young of the cod and the young of the pollack,, 

 and comprehended all the young fish found along the shore under the 

 collective name " worf," meaning by this, principally, the young of the 

 pollack. Even this year, which had been unfavorable to the coming in 

 of the young cod, I had often occasion to observe them among the 

 young pollack, measuring about a finger in length, and often occurring 

 in considerable numbers. As far as the one-year-old or rather the 1^- 

 year-old young of the winter-cod are concerned, they are found here all 

 summer through in large numbers, together with the large cod, and 

 under exactly the same conditions as in the Lolfoden. 1 have no doubt 

 that the same may be observed on many other points of the coast, and 

 I have likewise obtained some corroborative information regarding this 

 matter from several men who are intimately acquainted with the fish- 

 eries. 



This is, in short, the result of many observations at Bodo. As I here- 

 with closed my observations for this year, and as 1 have in the above 

 already given a simple report of my investigations, I can add nothing 

 but a brief resume of the more important results gained by this year's 

 observations, and the conclusions which may be drawn from them regard- 

 ing the occurrence, mode of life, &c., of the winter cod. 



Among the more important results I must, as I have already said 

 above, count the certain proof that the so-called " smaagjed^^ is nothing 



* " Mori" or ^'mort," a purely iirovincial term, signifying cod or pollack, younger than 

 one year. — Translator's note. 



t '■' Smaagjed" means " small pike," and is a provincial term applied to young cod of 

 a certain age ; no one, of course, supposing that they are real i^ike. — Translator's 

 Note. 



40 F 



