4 
[11] THE SPRING HERRING FISHERIES OF NORWAY. 137 
could be noticed (9,850 barrels, against 17,275 during the preceding 
year). At Gildeskaal and Bodo large masses of herring were yet found, 
but their arrival was somewhat irregular; and it seems that especially 
at Gildeskaal the herring sought other reefs than formerly. During 
this year the herring went farther north into the Vestfiord, and an 
unusually large number was found along the entire coast of Salten and 
far in the Tysfiord. 
In 1874, the last year when great-herring fisheries were carried on, 
only a few small schools made their appearance near Helgeland. Near 
Melo only 1,22 barrels of fish were caught. Also at Gildeskaal in Sal- 
ten the herring failed to put in an appearance, and but very few came 
to the Bodo district, whilst towards the Vestfiord, in the Stegen and 
Hammero districts, large numbers came near the coast. 
As regards the more northerly localities, large numbers of herring: 
had regularly approaehed the coast near Vesteraalen. In 1871 and the 
following years they came also to the Lofoden Islands, in particularly 
large numbers during 1871 and 1872, without, however, making the 
fisheries in these localities specially productive. 
In the Tromsé district large numbers of herring likewise approached 
the coast, but one year they came quite near the coast, and the next 
they kept at a considerable distance from it, which of course made the 
the fisheries very irregular. 
In Finmark there were no fisheries since 1869. Prof. G. O. Sars fur- 
nishes the interesting item of information, that considerable numbers 
of herring were seen in 1873, even near the coast of East Finmark. 
It is not known with any degree of certainty how much the herring de- 
creased in number in the northern portions of the great herring district 
proper (the districts of Nordland and Tromso) during the last year of 
their occurrence in those parts. At Salten a much larger number of 
herring was caught in 1874 than in 1873; but this circumstance was 
caused partly by the exceptionally favorable weather, and partly by 
the fact that the fishermen in 1874 were not as well prepared for fishing 
on a large seale as in 1873. At Vesteraalen about the same number of 
fish was caught in 1874 as in 1875, and the fisheries of both years were 
considered good. In the Tromsé district the fisheries of 1873 were more 
productive than in any previous year, the yield being 168,000 barrels. 
In 1874 the yield was much smaller, viz; 70,000 barrels ; but even this. 
fact does not furnish any absolutely satisfactory evidence of a decrease 
in the number of herring. 
In 1875 the fisheries were a total failure everywhere, and there was. 
hardly any indication at all of any great herring having approached 
the coast. The rumors which were current during the year that the 
herring showed themselves in the Nordland district proved to be un- 
founded, or at any rate grossly exaggerated. In the Tromso district 
birds were noticed to hover over the sea, and “it is therefore probabie,” 
