56 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



prior to the passing of these Acts fished between the 

 ist November, and the 3ist March, it follows 

 that this section of the Act affords no additional 

 protection to whales. Since the whaling companies 

 working from Scottish or Irish soil had to obtain 

 licences from the fishery authorities, the regulations 

 in the Act were capable of being enforced. In both 

 Acts there were prohibitions against any sort of 

 whaling within the three mile limit, against the 

 killing of the herring-hog (which is supposed to 

 indicate to the herring fishermen the presence of 

 herring shoals), and the killing of any whale 

 accompanied by a calf. 



The increase of whaling in Scottish and Irish 

 waters by Norwegian subjects which led to the pass- 

 ing of these Acts was due in part at any rate to a 

 Norwegian law of 1904 which forbade for the period 

 of ten years the hunting of the whale within 

 Norwegian territorial waters off the counties of 

 Nordland, Finmark, and Tromso and the landing of 

 whales in these counties. 



Further, a similar prohibition could by Royal 

 Decree be extended to the remaining seaboard of 

 the kingdom, or parts thereof. 



A large expanse of sea in East Finmarken, the 

 Var anger Fiord, was closed to whalers for a distance 

 of one geographical mile outside a line drawn from 

 Kibergsnses on the north to Jacobs River on the 

 south. This arm of the sea is thirty-two miles 

 across at the entrance, extends inland for a distance 

 of fifty miles, and comprises an area of six hundred 



