— 247 - 



varies at some places from r' — 2'' and one pound contains about if/X) specimens. 

 This means therefore, that one could buy 1500 young eels for about l '/a d. 

 which, transferred to places where there is need of them and room for 

 them, could grow up to large eels. 



Great possibilities are thus opened up for transplanting eels in as great quantities as 

 the circumstances make desirable to the waters in the Baltic countries or elsewhere, which 

 do not naturally have a sufficient supply of eel fry. And it should also be observed, 

 that there are perhaps no other fry, which adapt themselves so well to transplanting as 

 just those of the eel, it seems indeed almost as if the eel fry were endowed by nature 

 with that object in view. Thus in the developmental stages, which would be considered 

 for purposes of transplantation, they are extraordinarily hardy and can sustain with- 

 drawal from water for a long time, which is naturally of great importance for the trans- 

 portation to such places, where they must go over land. And further they resemble the 

 silver-eel in being in a migration-stage, when they do not require food. 



From both these circumstances the possibilities are in a high degree increased for 

 the transplantation of even great quantities of young eels in good condition from one 

 place to another whether by sea or by land. 



At various places in Northern Europe (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany) trans- 

 plantation of young eels is already undertaken on a small scale', and there is no doubt 

 also that such local transplantation may often be of considerable use, e. g. when the young 

 are transferred from rivers with abrupt falls or similar hindrances, which the young fish 

 are not able of themselves to overcome. Such arrangements should naturally be con- 

 tinued, but besides, I think that the Baltic countries and the Danish waters 

 should be provided with great quantities of young eels from the Atlantic 

 coasts, where there are more eel fry than there is room for in addition to those, which 

 naturally reach so far as to these régions. 



If we perceive the desirability, for example at a water-fall, sluice or similar place in 

 North Europe, of helping the eel-fry over the existing hindrance, so that they may reach 

 to places, where there is room and need for them, is there not good reason for seeking 

 to help them over the many difficulties on the several hundred miles journey from the 

 Atlantic Ocean, a distance which requires ca. 4 months^ or more? 



This we can do, if we buy and transport large quantities of young eels from the 

 coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and place them in fresh and brackish water in the Baltic 

 countries and other places in North Europe, where there is need of them. In this way 

 we shall gain two objects: the first, that we do not take the young fish from 

 places, where perhaps there are not enough of them, and this we are often 

 not quite sure about, when the transplantation is from -one place to another in North 

 Europe; the second, which naturally is of vital importance, that it becomes possible to 

 undertake the transplantation of young fish on a far greater scale than 

 before. Now the common price for smaller eel fry in Sweden and Denmark is 10 Kr. 

 ca. 11 sh.) per 1000, which means, over 100 times so much, as the young eels can 



' Eel fry have been transplanted to the Danube from the Mediterranean on a somewhat large but probably 

 still not sufficiently great scale. 



2 The immigration from the Atlantic Ocean begins in November or earlier, and the young eels begin to 

 appear in quantity in the Danish waters in March. 



