AN ACCOUNT OF THE FISHERIES IN NORWAY IN 1877. 731 



ordinary herring, it much resembles it, and often accompanies it, espe- 

 cially in the summer. The sprat is easily distinguished, however, by 

 its belly, which is sharp or serrated. Like the ordinary summer her- 

 ring, it seeks the coast in nearly all our fjords, from the frontier of 

 Sweden to Eomsdal, from spring to the end of autumn, and it comes 

 usually in large schools. It is most abundant in the deep tjords of 

 the prefectures of Stavanger and South Bergenhus. The spring bris- 

 ling is distinguished from that of the autumn ; the former is poor 

 and not of great value, while the latter is a line, fat, and good fish, so 

 that many persons preter it to the summer herring itself. It is taken 

 almost exclusively with very small meshed seines. These seines are 

 very expensive, but need not be so long as those required for the her- 

 ring fishery. Generally in commencing to fish an ordinary summer- 

 herring seine is placed in the water. This startles the brisling and 

 serves to drive it in, but before the fish is completely inclosed a seine 

 with fine meshes is cast outside of the large one, when the first seine is 

 withdrawn. 



In the autumn, when the brisling is pursued by the tunny, of which it 

 is the favorite food, it comes near our coast, and is then easy of cap- 

 ture. With a seine of moderate dimensions several hundred barrels 

 may often be taken. Like the summer herring, it is well to leave it 

 three days in the seine to give it time to digest the mass of food it has 

 swallowed. 



The brisling is frequently prepared into anchovies 5 that is, it is 

 pickled with different kinds of spices. The summer herring cannot be 

 Xirepared in this way, but it is as applicable to the spring as to the 

 autumn brisling; the latter, however, gives a much better product. 

 The operation is performed in kegs of different sizes, but containing 

 rarely more than 8 or 10 quarts. The anchovy is consumed in this 

 country, but it is also exported to a great extent to Denmark, Hamburg, 

 and England. 



E.— THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 



The mackerel is found in great quantity upon the whole coast from 

 the Swedish frontier to the eminence of Sondmore. It is distinguished, 

 according to the period when sought after, into summer and fall mack- 

 erel. The summer catch is alone of importance, although furnishing a 

 poorer article. The autumn catch is rarely productive, and then in but 

 tew localities, so that few fishermen are occupied by it. The summer 

 fishing commences toward the 20th of May, provided the weather be 

 not too cold. 



1. Apparatus and methods in use. 



It is not long since this fishery was prosecuted with trailing or troll- 

 ing lines, but recently drift-nets have come into use. As it is very 

 lucrative, above all since the English have been in the habit of buying 

 the mackerel lor shipment to England in ice, all the maritime pox^ula- 



