[11] THE FINMARK CAPELAN-FISHERIES. 177 
would be much more difficult to catch the cod with lines when the sea 
was full of capelan. 
As a peculiarity of this year’s fisheries in the Varanger-fiord it must 
be mentioned that during the whole season the cod went very deep, so° 
that the first good hauls were made near the edge of the outer bottom- 
elevation. I think that I can explain this by purely physical and 
meteorological causes, of which more below. 
In answer to the question what caused the capelan this vear to stay 
away from its usual spawning places in the Varanger-fiord most fisher- 
men will say that the whale-fisheries were the only cause of this. No 
facts, however, are given on which to build this opinion, and I believe, 
and expect to show in the following, that I am able to mention a much 
more plausible cause, which will also explain the failures of former 
years, when there were no whale-fisheries. 
I give below some statistical data, taken from the fish-reports re- 
printed in ‘* Norges Officielle Statistik,” relative to the capelan-fisheries in 
the Varanger-fiord during the last few years, from which it will be seen 
that there has not been a uniform decrease of the capelan-fisheries since 
the begining of the whale-fisheries, as is maintained by some persons, 
but that the fisheries have varied considerably from year to year. 
Statistics showing the number of fish caught in the Varanger-district during 
the period 1868-1878.* 
BaP ee ies ced eRe Ns Baas ld het no ca ander ae 3, 160, 000 
“ESOL gS 2 PR ee cies cn nye Ee 446, 000 
MI Arba A Annee OD 6 ks aecaitic Ringe 1, 192, 000 
Tsay er ce SEE Ae Oe ae a i 797, 900 
ie ea a 82 aes eS et srs 431, 200 
LOR PONS ESE OS NES en Sr einer Cn 900, 000 
‘SL ES SEE, cs CIR nee” SI 208 ne RR nO nee 1, 187, 000 
“1S eee eT dee Oe eS 961, 000 
SP OGG ea i HOE ey gta BUN e Panett hg te 476, 000 
7 eS SANS CORDON SSE 8 Seam nana 1, 120, 000 
Be Ae MUN IR cea tees cial es abe aretha teas nel ct 569, 000 
B. 
ON THE SUPPOSED FNFLUENCE OF THE WHALE-FISHERIES ON THE 
CAPELAN-FISHERIES IN THE VARANGER-FIORD. 
As this question "is for the time being of vital importance to the in- 
habitants of the coast, I have given special attention to it, and have, 
after the best of my ability, during my stay at Vadsoe sought to examine 
all the points which seem to have any bearing on this question. It is 
the general opinion in these parts, as is well known, that the whale- 
fisheries exercise an exceedingly hurtful influence on the capelan-fisher- 
3 * The figures for the last two years have been kindly furnished by the Statistical 
ureau. 
S. Mis. 29-———12 
