Fig. 49. 
a far greater quantity of 
other cod were taken than 
of skrei. This at once 
suggests the existence of 
far-reaching natural con- 
ditions, which may well 
be regarded as exercising 
an important mfluence on 
the fluctuations of the 
industry. 
The skrei fisheries. 
Of the various cod 
fisheries, the skrei fishing 
is the oldest and most 
important, extending as 
far back as the history of 
the country, while the 
developement of the fish- 
ing industry has affected 
this branch more than any 
other. In the course of 
centuries therefore, a great 
amount of experience has 
been gained as to the skrei 
and its spawning. During 
the long period of time 
when no charts were in 
existence (down to about 
the beginning of the 19th 
century) the whole skrei 
fishery was based upon 
ancient tradition indicat- 
ing certain fixed grounds, 
the locality of which was 
marked by the so-called 
“med”. This was a parti- 
cular point at sea, deter- 
mined by cross-bearings on 
land, as a rule from small islands or rocks, to the inland heights in the background. The 
individual fisherman’s knowledge of such localities would naturally be very limited, and 
the fishery restricted to small areas, The difficulty was moreover further increased by 
the extreme irregularity of the depth, the sea floor, like the land adjoning, exhibiting a 
