[X.—REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTE- 
RIOR ON THE PRACTICAL AND SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS 
OF THE FINMARK CAPELAN-FISHERIES, MADE DURING THE 
SPRING OF THE YEAR 1879," 
By Prorerssor G. O. Sars, 
In accordance with a plan made some time ago, it was my intention 
this year to give special attention to the so-called capelan-fisheries, 
which I had not yet investigated, and which on account of their vary- 
ing character, seemed to deserve a closer examination. The loud com- 
plaints raised during the last few years regarding the injurious influence 
on the capelan-fisheries of Mr. Foyn’s whale fisheries, especially in the 
Varanger-fiord, compelled me to some extent to change my original plan. 
Instead of traveling over the entire capelan-district, as had been my 
original intention, the above-mentioned cause induced me to confine my 
investigations for this year to the Varanger-fiord, which has been, and 
is still, the principal scene of the whale-fisheries. 
In order to be present at the beginning of the capelan-fisheries, I went 
north as early as the 28th of March, and arrived at Vadsoe on the 11th of 
April. At that date there had not yet been any fisheries of importance, 
and no capelan had entered the Varanger-fiord. Considerable masses of 
capelan, however, had approached the coast of Western Finmark and 
the fishing-stations near the North Cape, where the fisheries were already 
in full operation. Capelan had also been noticed near the eastern fish- 
ing-stations as far as Vardoe. On the 15th of April the first capelan en- 
tered the Vadsoe sound, and a few boat-loads were captured. But on the 
following day most of the capelan had disappeared, and after this only 
approached the coast in small numbers. I, nevertheless, succeeded 
during these days in making a number of important observations of 
the capelan, and expected at a later period to have ample opportu- 
nity to complete these observations. This expectation, however, was 
doomed to disappointment. The great mass of capelan did not go any 
nearer this coast this year than Kiberg, from which place they seemed 
to have taken their course across the mouth of the fiord towards the 
Fisher Island on the coast of Russia, whilst only a few scattered schools 
entered the Varanger-fiord. Those who had previously expressed the 
* “ Tndberetning | til | Departementet for det Indre | fra | Professor, Dr. G. O. Sars | om 
de af ham i Vaaren 1879, anstillede praktish-videnskabelige | Underségelser over | Lodde- 
Jisket | ved Finmarken.” | Christiania, 1879.—Transtated by HERMAN JACOBSON. 
[1] 167 
