— 199 — 
The Lofoten fishery in 1903 and 1904. 
Turning now to especially consider the interesting years 1903 and 1904, we notice from 
Fig. 124 that the difference between the quantity of liver at the beginning and that at the end 
of the season is far less than in other years. The natural explanation, however, is evi- 
dently this; that the fish in these years arrived on the banks much later than is their 
wont. The first week of the season generally falls at the beginning of February; in 1903 
however, it was the beginning of March, and in 1904 end of February. The following 
table shows the percentage of Lofoten skrei taken in the month of April during each 
of the years from 1900—1911. It will be noticed that the two years 1903 and 1904 
are sharply distinguished from the others by the lateness of the season, which set in 
about the time when it is usually nearing its close. This must be considered to have 
had a great influence upon the quantity of liver in these years, at least in so 
much as the earliest arrivals had a lesser quantity of liver than would otherwise 
have been the case judging by their size. The fact that the size in these years varied 
exactly in the same manner as the quantity of liver is evident from the figure already 
Yield of Lofoten fishery falling in April (percentage of whole season’s yield). 
100s 22.6 % 1906...... 5.4%, 
(OIL. cos. 26.2 » BOs cose 32.6 » 
GOD. asco 24.5 » OE, ever 27.1 » 
ee 68.6 » TRO, coos 28.6 » 
HOWE. sec 78.1 » OHO, sco 19.4 » 
Te 22.2 » NO. oo 23.8 » 
given on p. 197, showing a comparison of average weight with quantity of liver in Lofoten 
skrei; the measurements of samples, also, referred to in Chapter III, indicate a like result. 
The following figure shows a comparison of the quantity of liver with the average sizes 
(lengths) calculated on the basis of the measurements of skrei samples *). 
I therefore take it as proved that the great fluctuations which take place in the quantity 
of liver from year to year are chiefly due to variation in the composition in point of age and 
‚size, not in the quality of the fish. 1 do not therefore wish to deny that the quality also 
may be of some importance; on the contrary, it is highly probable that variations in 
quality may augment or diminish the fluctuations due to size. As to this, however, 
no definite information based on critical investigation is available. Such investigations 
could not, moreover, be carried out until it was realised that any comparison between 
different years must be based on examination of fish of the same age . The only exact 
investigations of this nature hitherto made are Lra’s growth measurements of Nord- 
land fat herring in different years. LEA found, as we have seen, (Chap. I, Fig. 23) that 
the Nordland fat herring exhibited poorer growth in some years than in others. 
This furnishes an example of variations only to be explained by the fact that the fish 
must have lived under different conditions as regards nourishment. The carrying out 
*) It should be observed that the average length for 1903 was calculated from the samples 
examined at Svendsgrunden in March of that year. I considered these as being representative of 
the year’s fish in point of size, since they agreed, in this respect, with the statements of the 
fishery authorities as to average size of the skrei that year. 
