346 REPOfiT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [14] 



At Gjassvaer alone there was some sicluicss among the fishermen during 

 the first days of May, but it did uot as.^ume the character of an epi- 

 demic, and as early as the middle of May the sanitary condition was 

 reported as good. 



The fishermen, fishing-boats, and merchant vessels were counted on 

 May 8, and on that day the number of fishermen was 15.447 (among 

 them 861 from Sweden, Finland, and Paissia). The number of boats was 

 4,320 (with 70 from Russia). One hundred and six persons on board 

 merchant-vessels also carried on fisheries. For the sake of comparison 

 we crivc the following figures from ])re^-ious years: 



Tears. 



1876 

 1877 

 1878 

 1879 



Nmnber of 

 fishcimen. 



JO, 703 

 10. 5:!7 

 16, 429 

 17, 325 



IRumbor of 

 boats. 



3,320 



3, 2i!6 



4, Mi 

 4,902 



As regards the apparatus employed the rei)ort states the following: 

 On the day when the count was taken 329 men with 73 boats were ex- 

 clusively engaged in net fisheries, 4,345 men with 1,349 boats in night- 

 lino fisheries, 5,2G5 meu with 1,243 boats in deep-bait fisheries, while 

 5,508 men with 1,055 boats used both night-lines and deep-bait. One 

 hundred and seven men with 29 boats also used nets. These net-fish- 

 eries were carried on principally at several places in the South Varanger 

 Fiord. In tlie district of Hasvik, at Sva^rholt, and in Varanger Fionl 

 ]>roper, no deep-bait fisheries were going on. It also appears that the 

 inhabitants of the district engaged in net fisheries only to a very lim- 

 ited extent, the apparatus which was principally used being the night- 

 line. The fishermen who came from the district of Nordland, as well 

 as those from the southern ])ortion of the Tromsoe district, mostly car- 

 ried on deep-bait fisheries. 



The number of vessels engaged in these fisheries and their tonnage 

 was as follows : 



During the latter year the vess*ijs were manned by 1,644 men. 



Good order seems to have been preserved during these fisheries. The 

 total number of fines imposed was only forty-five, six of which were for 

 selling liquor without a license, and twenty-one for violations of the 

 fishery law. 



