THE COD FISHERIES NEAR THE LOFFODEN ISLANDS. 655 



Finmarken belongs, in my opinion, to a different tribe of herrings, and 

 holds exactly the same relation to the Nordlaud great herring as the 

 summer-herring on our western coast to the spring herring. 



We now come to the difficult and so far very obscure question, 

 "What causes the irregularities in the herring- fisheries, both as regards 

 their location and their results, on our western coast (the so-called 'her- 

 ring periods '), which have been observed from time immemorial?" 

 We will see whether the new views which have been advanced will in 

 any way esplaiu this ])henomenon. We are justified in supposing that 

 here we are not confronted by an absolutely insoluble problem, but that 

 this phenomenon, like everything else in nature, must have its natural 

 causes, which can be found, and as this is really the all-important 

 question, on which everything depends, all practical and scientific inves- 

 tigations should be directed toward its solution. It is and ahvays has 

 been my opinion that this can only done from a scientific point of view. 

 A detailed historical investigation of the fisheries may be valuable in 

 itself, but it cannot possibly lead to any satisfactory explanation of the 

 j)robIem. The starting-point of the whole investigation must be a most 

 exhaustive knowledge of the nature and mode of life of the herring, and 

 I have therefore endeavored to arrive at all my conclusions in this way. 

 Only if it turns out that the facts obtained in this manner can be har- 

 monized with those gained by historical investigations, these latter will 

 become truly valuable as corroborating the views reached by scientific 

 investigations. 



By the indefatigable zeal of the late Mr. A.Boeck, a very large number 

 of historical data regarding the herring-fisheries on our western coast 

 have been gathered — data which extend from the most recent time as 

 far back as documents are extant. Most of these documents have their 

 chief value as material for a complete history of our herring-fisheries, 

 which he intended to publish. But there is no doubt that this great 

 mass of documents will, among the rest, also contain information 

 which, if used in a careful and critical manner, may form a good basis 

 and guide for a continued scientific investigation of our herring-fish- 

 eries. Among the numerous historical data given by Mr. A. Boeck in 

 his book, " Om Silden," I would direct special attention to the peculiar 

 circumstance, also specially dwelt on by him, that the spring-herring 

 fisheries on our western coast have not always commenced at the same 

 time of the year, but that at times they have had a tendency to get later 

 and later in the spring, which, according to Mr. Boeck, has particularly 

 been the case toward the end of the so-called " herring-periods." The 

 difference of time has even been as much as a month and a half, as in 

 some years the spring-herrings have come in before New Tear, while 

 in other years fishing has not commenced till late in February. As 

 long as the old theory was maintained, that the spriug-herrmgs live in 

 certain limited deep basins of the sea near that coast where they spawn, 

 this phenomenon would be entirely inexplicable, and it would also seem 



