XXIV -THE FRESHWATER FISHERIES OF ICELAND/ 



[A report to the Assembly of Icelaud.] 



After making- due preparation I reached Silfrastadir, Iceland, on July 

 19, 1884, and on the following day stopped at Lake Ljosavatu. At 

 Akreyri I had been told that this lake was very deep, and partly for this 

 reason and partly with the view to become acquainted with an Iceland 

 lake as soon as possible, a man and boat were engaged to aid me in in- 

 specting it. On the man taking me to the place where he thought the 

 lake was deepest, I measured 6 fathoms ; then 11, 13, 14, and 12. I had 

 now passed the place which was supposed to be deepest, and as the 

 boat was really not safe, I stopped measuring. Afterwards I was told 

 that in some places this lake is 17 fathoms deep. The temperature of 

 the water near the surface was 9^°, and at the depth of 8 fathoms 8° 

 Celsius. There are comparatively few tish in this lake, and they are 

 small and not very fat, although I have been informed that some weighed 

 as much as 8 pounds. The fish which I had occasion to examine weighed 

 from one-quarter to three-quarters pound, and aj^peared in good condi- 

 tion. Most of them seemed to be trout, and but few were mountain-trout. 

 The food of the fish consisted of larves of flies and gnats, and a few 

 small snails. 



Just here I must saj-, regarding the Iceland freshwater fish, that 

 from time immemorial there has been a great confusion of names, both 

 among the fishermen and the writers on this subject. I have not yet 

 been able to finish examining the material I gathered ; but I can state 

 that the principal kinds of fish in the fresh waters of Iceland are salmon, 

 trout, mountain-trout, eels, and sticklebacks. I must add, however, that 

 there are different varieties both of the trout and the mountain-trout. 

 The Iceland term silungur must be considered as a name liorue in com- 

 mon by the various species of trout and mountain-trout, although in 

 some places it means simply the trout, that variety which I would call 

 the " gray trout." The word sjoreidur was used both for the trout and 

 the mountain-trout which come up from the sea to spawn in fresh water. 

 By the term laJcsebroder the Icelanders mean the fish which in Denmark 

 is called white trout or salmon trout ; hlekja and hirting are different 



* ^' Islands Fwrskvaiidsfiskeriei:" From Fisktriiide7ide,'Sos. 25 aud 26, Copenhagen, 

 June 23 and 30, 1885. Translated from the Danish by Herman Jacobson. 



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