644 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



the former lines followed toward the reef during this and the preceding 

 year by following parallel lines. I thus found that this part of the sea 

 is much more monotonous than I had expected. Both the nature of the 

 bottom and the depth, the animal life, the temperature of the water, 

 and other natural conditions corresponded exactly with the results of 

 observations made in following other lines, so that one could generallj'' 

 say beforehand from the location what depth and what bottom a certain 

 place would have. I was thus enabled by this one trip to get a com- 

 plete idea of the natural conditions of this whole district ; and I conse- 

 quently saw but little use in watching the soundings, from which I 

 could only look for very insignificant results as far as my investigations 

 were concerned, at least in comparison with the great amount of time 

 spent. After I had been about eight days on board the steamer I de- 

 termined, as last year, to leave it and endeavor to make observations on 

 my own account on such points of the coast as I thought would be most 

 suitable. On account of the season, these observations could, as during 

 the previous year, only refer to the so-called " summer-herring" and 

 the tender young ones of the spring-herring, with a view of still further 

 corroborating the opinion advanced in my former report, that all these 

 fish only represent diflerent phases of one and the same herring. It 

 was likewise my desire, if possible, to gain some information regarding 

 the winter-fisheries, partly by direct examination of the bottom, partly 

 by listening to the accounts of experienced men. 



My investigations commenced at Bukken, three Norwegian miles 

 south of Bergen, from which place I made several excursions, espe- 

 cially in a southerly direction toward the mouth of the Korsfiord, 

 where last winter there had been considerable fisheries of so-called 

 "mixed herring." During my stay several hauls of summer-herring 

 were made, of a smaller size but of a remarkably good quality, which 

 I state here with considerable satisfaction as refuting the opinion 

 held by some people that the herring coming to our southwestern 

 coast has deteriorated in quality. After having staid here about 

 three weeks, I went farther south to the old and well-known spring- 

 herring fishing station Espevper, at the mouth of the Bommelfiord, 

 where I staid about one month, and where I carefully examined the 

 bottom, likewise gathering information concerning former herring-fish- 

 eries. At the last-mentioned place I had an excellent opportunity 

 of observing the summer-herring and the conditions under which they 

 approach the coast, all of which went to still further corroborate my 

 foraier view regarding their relation to the spring-herring; a view 

 which I found, to my great satisfaction, was shared by experienced 

 fishermen and other persons well acquainted with the fisheries. Dur- 

 ing my staj' considerable hauls were made, in the beginning nearly 

 exclusively large " merchants' herring," later mostly heniug of different 

 sizes, but all of a very fine quality. On my arrival at this place I 

 could already predict the speedy approach of the herrings from the 



