416 MODERN SEA FISHING 



lines overboard in the neighbourhood of the LofToden Islands. 

 There they will haul up cod after cod until their arms and 

 backs weary, the whole deck running with gore and looking 

 like some hideous shambles. It almost disgusts one of sea 

 fishing, say those who have tried it. 



The energetic Fishery Commission of the United States 

 carries on a great deal of marine fish culture, cod by no means 

 being neglected. And, needless to be said, our American 

 friends deal in millions where we should be satisfied with 

 thousands. Not only cod, but haddocks, pollack, mackerel, 

 Spanish mackerel, and other fish are all artificially reared up to 

 the fry stage. From twenty-two hatching establishments there 

 were distributed in the course of two years 196,409,650 eggs ; 

 525,783,273 fry ; 2,400,094 yearlings and adults a total of 

 724,593,017. These were not all marine fish, a large number 

 of white fish, pike, perch, and shad being included. In the year 

 1890-91, 3,000 selected cod produced over sixty-seven million 

 eggs, from which were reared about thirty-six and a half million 

 fry. It is very satisfactory to find that this planting of fry in 

 the sea has in America, as in Norway, produced good results. 

 Those who would seek further information on the subject I must 

 refer to the Reports of the American Fishery Commissioners. 



Professar Sars, of Norway, who has made a special study of 

 these fish, found that the eggs floated unless the specific gravity 

 of the sea was lessened by river water flowing into it, which 

 would cause them to sink. At Flodevig, for instance, after a 

 long succession of winds from the east or south-east, the brack- 

 ish waters of the Baltic are so mixed with those of that portion 

 of the North Sea that salt has to be added to the breeding 

 ponds. Otherwise the eggs will not float. 



The eggs are from about eighteen to thirty or more days in 

 the hatching, according to the temperature of the water. Like 

 a trout, the little fish when first hatched is furnished with a tiny 



