206 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [18] 
5.—TIDES AND CURRENTS. 
I had hoped to construct tables that would give definite figures re- 
garding the tides, but, on account of the frequent changes of position 
and the remarkable complexity of the currents, near the edge of the 
banks, this was impossible. The first peculiarity one would be likely 
to notice, is that the tide runs up the strait much longer and with 
greater velocity than in the opposite direction. In fact, some days 
there was no tide at all down the strait, but corresponding to it would 
be nearly slack water for seven or eight hours. The tide also, instead 
of changing every six hours, would only do so twice a day. The obser- 
vations made August 4, will show this. The velocity is expressed in 
the number of feet a chip floated in a minute, and the directions are 
those of the compass. As this varies about 70° toward the west, it will 
be seen that all the directions given are up rather than down, the strait. 
TIDE AUGUST 4. 
6a.m.}7a.m.| 8a.m. |9a.m. {10 a.m./11 a.m./12m.|}1 p.m. |2p.m.| 3 p.m. |4p.m./5p.m./6 p.m. 
NE. NE. |NE.xE.| ENE His ilicwsee- BaXiOnlseecice SSE. |SE.xS.|SE.xS.| SE. 
Slight. Goode Moderate. ee feet. pes feet.|246 feet.|..-..- 168 feet. liseos 135 feet.|96 feet.|90 feet.|60 feet. 
The greater velocity of the tide running north compared with that 
going south, is probably due to the existence of a current on the east 
side of the strait running up the coast of Greenland. The slack water, 
of six or seven hours ata time, would then be when the current and 
tide just balanced each other. The few icebergs we saw while fish- 
ing came from the south. The harbors of Holsteinborg and Sukkertop- 
pen are open much earlier than the more southern ones, owing to the 
ice that is brought round Cape Farewell, blocking up these latter. The 
existence of this southern ice will be a great barrier to the utilization 
of the southern fishing banks, making those about Sukkertoppen and 
Holsteinborg the ones most accessible. 
The combining of the tide and current often renders fishing impos- 
sible five or six hours at a time, but, as the slack water is usually cor- 
respondingly long, the loss of time need not be very great, for, by care- 
ful observation, the fishermen can time themselves so as to sleep while 
the tide is strong and fish when it is slack water. -It must be remem- 
bered, that in this latitude it is light enough in July to work all night 
without inconvenience. 
The tides and currents are not, however, as simple as the preceding 
remarks would seem to imply. Often a changing of eur position a few 
miles would bring us into a different combination of currents. The 
banks occasion variations in currents a few miles apart. The whole 
coast of Greenland is indented by deep fiords, three or more miles . 
broad, and fifty to a hundred miles long; and the tides running out of 
these with great force have an influence miles from their mouths. 
e 
