— 50 - 



Norwegian Sea; the richest samples come from the coastal bank off Jäderen and Hauge- 

 sund (Utsireflaket). 



Cod eggs were found ever5rwhere in the large area above the North Sea Bank with 

 depths between 8o and 200 M., but always singly only, just as some ripe fishes also 

 occurred here. 



In the Norwegian Channel, on the other hand, where the depth amounts to more 

 than 200 M., no fresh-spawned eggs of the cod were found. 



In agreement with this is the fact, that the cod eggs did not occur in the deeper, 

 central parts of the Skager Rak, though they were found on the other hand both on 

 the Jutland Bank and on the Norwegian Skager Rak coast. 



The spawning time in the southernmost part of the North Sea begins already in 

 January, perhaps even already in December, and ends in April, whilst in the Northern 

 North Sea and in the Skager Rak the cod spawns but little before March ; the main period 

 falls in April and lasts to May or June. Fulton's investigations' have shown, that 

 spawning occurs on the Ling Bank even in August and September. 



II. Norwegian Sea 



(a) It seems that the whole, extensive Norwegian coast on the Norwegian Sea as far 

 as the island of Sörö in West Finmark forms a continuous spawning place. East of this 

 island the cod only spawns in small quantities, which appears both from the investigations 

 on the cod eggs and from the statistics of the quantity of roe taken in the cod fishery, 

 which cease at Sörö. Over this large spawning area the extent of the spawning is in 

 accordance with the occurrence of coastal banks from 40 — 80 M. in depth. Wherever 

 large banks occur off the coast with these depths and with stony bottom, the cod spawns 

 in quantities. This fact has been proved in recent years from the catches of plankton 

 eggs and of spawning cod. The spawning places found in this way have been described 

 in detail in the Norwegian publications 2. The spawning time falls in general in the 

 months of February to the middle of April. 



(b) At the Faeroes the cod spawns everywhere round the islands in great quan- 

 tities ; 



(c) at Iceland it spawns likewise in March and April, on the south and west coasts 

 of the island, but not on the north and east coasts. A very small after-spawning may 

 occur here in summer, but in extent it cannot be compared with the true, great spring 

 spawning. The boundaries of the spring spawning are as a rule very sharply defined, 

 namely at Cape North (N. W. Iceland) and at the Horns (S. E. Iceland) ; it seems specially 

 distinct at the latter place, where we find a sudden transition from the warm Atlantic 

 water to the East Icelandic Polar Stream. 



III. Atlantic Ocean 



It has been found that the cod spawns from the north coast of Scotland to the 

 south coast of Ireland. As the 100 M. curve approaches the coast here, the belt on 



1 Fulton, On the Spawning of the Cod in the Autumn in the North Sea. Publ. de circonstance Nr. 8. 1904, 



2 JOHAN HjORT, Fiskeforseg og fangstfelter. Norges Fiskerier I. Norsk havfiske. 1905. 



