[9] THE FINMARK CAPELAN-FISHERIES. 175 
temperature, and this cannot but have a considerable influence on their 
approach to the coast. The water of the deep Finmark fiord is gen- 
erally very cool in spring, owing to the severe cold of the winter, and 
near the surface its temperature is often several degrees lower than in 
the open sea immediately outside the fiords. This difference of tem- 
perature, traces of which are found for a long time in the deep por- 
tions of the water, gradually disappears with the increasing warmth of 
summer. But as the heat of summer comes early one year and late 
another, the period when the temperature of the surface is the same in 
the fiords as in the open sea varies considerably from year to year, and 
this circumstance cannot fail to influence the character and location of 
the capelan-fisheries. It will therefore easily be understood why un- 
usually cold weather during the early part of summer is considered as 
very unfavorable for the entrance of the capelan into the fiords. 
Although the capelan are, during their approach to the coast, pur- 
sued by numerous enemies, both whales, fish, and birds of prey, this 
seems to have much less influence on the course of the capelan schools 
than the above-mentioned physical conditions. The capelan, on the 
whole, seems to be rather a lazy fish, and, especially when gathered in 
large schools, by no means shy. On this point I have made several 
observations; the first on my way north in the Sanfiord near Nordkyn. 
While the steamer stopped to unload goods a number of capelan were 
observed quietly swimming by the side of the steamer. When the ma- 
chinery again began to work and the steamer resumed its motion, it 
did not seem to affect them in the least, some of them even kept close 
to the stern without changing their course in the slightest, in conse- 
quence of which some were struck by the propeller and were thrown 
upward in a half-dead condition. It is well known that the method 
formerly employed for obtaining bait was very simple, and consisted in 
dipping the capelan out of the water with a sort of purse net. <Al- 
though of late years small seines have been used for this purpose, the 
above-mentioned primitive method is still successfully employed in 
many places, and I have once seen how two boat-loads of capelan were 
obtained at Vadsoe in this manner, although the schools were by no 
means large. This shows that the capelan is not at all shy. Its worst 
enemy is the coal-fish. This greedy fish of prey, by its peculiar method 
of chasing the capelan, often succeeds in scattering the schools, and 
in disturbing the approach of the capelan to the coast. Neither the 
so-called “ capelan cod,” nor whales, nor birds seem to produce this effect. 
D. 
THE CAPELAN-FISHERIES IN THE VARANGER-FIORD. 
As has already been mentioned, the capelan-fisheries are as a general 
Tule not very steady, the principal fisheries being one year in West Fin- 
mark and another year in East Finmark. The Varanger-fiord cape- 
