232 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



liver then floats out, the belly fills with water, and the 

 fish is cast adrift and immediately sinks. The liver is then 

 taken into the boat, and the fishery is concluded. 



The size and fatness of the fish vary considerably. The 

 prevailing size there is from 30 to 35 feet. They have been 

 caught as long as 40 feet, but this is now a rarity. Young 

 fish are never met with ; they doubtless keep in deep water 

 until of mature growth. The size of the liver depends 

 greatly on the condition of the fish. They usually render 

 from four to seven barrels of liver, occasionally as much as 

 from 10 to 16. Instances even have been known where 

 as much as 24 barrels have been obtained from a single 

 fish ; but this is of very rare occurrence. When the liver 

 is rich, six barrels will produce five barrels of oil of 30 

 gallons each. No other part of the fish is utilized. 



Of the remaining species of the shark tribe, there are 

 only two, besides the foregoing, which are of any import- 

 ance on this coast. The first is the picked dog-fish, 

 Squalus acanthias, which in former times was in great 

 abundance along the whole coast from Gothenburg, and 

 afforded lucrative employment to the fishermen. At 

 present the fishery is carried on during the whole of the 

 summer from the Naze to the North Cape, in the fiords as 

 well as along the coast. 



This is a ravenous fish, which is caught in various ways. 

 About midsummer he is observed to swim near the sur- 

 face, and can then be taken in nets, as well as with lines, 

 precaution being taken to protect the line by proper 

 " serving " for a short distance beyond the hook, to prevent 

 its being bitten off. This fish is eaten sometimes fresh, 

 but must be skinned before being cooked. When cooked 

 in this way, it is considered rather a delicacy. It is also 

 dried as split stock-fish for consumption in the country, 



