— 228 — 
this latter should by 1915 be further greatly reduced, possibly even sinking to some- 
thing approaching the numerical value of the other year classes. As the spring her- 
ring fishery has been unusually rich in the years when the 1904 year class was so 
numerous, and there being no younger year class among the stock in 1913 and 1914 
which even approximately compares with that of 1904, it would seem from our 
premises that there is a prospect of considerable decrease in the yield. 
As regards the fat herring fishery, the yield of the last few years has been 
extremely poor; small herring, however, of the 1912 and 1913 year classes have 
been taken in considerable quantities. As to how far this may be due to the in- 
creased efforts of the fishermen consequent upon augmented demand, or to the ap- 
pearance of new rich year classes which in the near future will favourably affect the 
yield of fat herring, and later also that of the spring herring; these are points which 
can only be determined when the new year classes begin to appear in the form 
of great numbers of small individuals in the catches of fat herring. Investigation of 
the fat herrmg stock has therefore been included in the programme of work for the 
“Michael Sars“ in the autumn of 1914, and may possibly make the matter clear. 
As regards the cod fisheries, our knowledge as to the longevity of year classes 
is even more uncertain than in the case of the herring. We have, as a matter of 
fact, only statements as to average weight of the fish available. From these it 
would seem, that there should still be a prospect of further increase, for some time, 
in the average size of the cod; in other words, that the same stock which in the 
past few years has been the object of the skrei and Finmark fishery may still be 
fished for. As to the younger year classes, but little is known as yet. We know 
that there were but few of them present on the Finmark coast last year, while on 
the Murman coast the quantity of small fish was at any rate somewhat greater. As 
to the numerical value of this stock, however, this can only be determined by fu- 
ture observation, which will be one of the most important tasks upon the programme 
of investigations for the coming summer. 
