4° 
Fig. 130. West Lofoten section, (cf. Fig. 127). 
= WG ee 
is washed by cold water, the temperature decreasing 
inwards up the fiords. The deeper water, however, 
exhibits a higher temperature; 4°—4%° throughout 
the whole of the fiord at depths of about 200 
metres. 
These conditions vary greatly from year to year. 
In some years it has been observed*), that the water 
far up in the fiord and close to the shore itself 
had a temperature of 5°, which indicates that the 
amount of coastal water m such years must have 
been very low. In other years, cold water has 
been encountered on the banks down to con- 
siderable depth, the temperature being sometimes as 
low as 0° or there abouts. It is an old theory, though 
never yet entirely proved, that these fluctuations are 
accompanied by corresponding variations in the move- 
ments of the fish, which in warmer years penetrate far 
in towards the shore, keeping to deeper water when 
the general temperature is lower. Various facts appear 
to support this theory; it is obvious, however, that it 
can only be entirely confirmed or refuted by extended 
observation; a matter of considerable difficulty, owing 
to the great amount of time and expense involved. In 
my opinion such investigations should be made by 
means of sections, similar to those drawn up for the year 
1913 and shown in the figures previously referred to. 
Such sections form the best and easiest indication of 
the prevailing conditions, and would appear to furnish 
a fairly representative survey of the same for the 
season. This was at least found to be the case in 
1913, the results as noted holding good as long as the 
fishery lasted. During this year, the fish kept to the 
edge of the banks, at 80—100 fathoms depth, the prin- 
cipal fishery bemg carried on in the western waters, 
from West Lofoten and Rost. As we have seen in 
Chap. III, most of the fish eggs were found on this 
side. These investigations thus appear to further 
emphasize the desirability of continued work in the 
same direction. In the Varangerfjord also, in 1915, 
the same peculiarity of temperature was observed; 
*) GADE. Temperaturmaalinger: Lofoten, 1891-1892. 
Christiania 1894. 
O. NoRDGAARD. Contribution to the Study of Hydrography 
and Biology on the Coast of Norway. Rep. on Norw. Marine 
Inv. 1895—1897. Bergen 1899. 
