- 84 — 



Gadus Poutassou is in high degree a pelagic fish, even in the older adult stages, as 

 I have already pointed out in my monograph on Gadus, Part I, p. 62. We obtain an im- 

 pression of this directly on examining the contents of the stomachs, as these consist so 

 far as my investigations go always of pelagic organisms (Copepoda, Schizopoda). This was 

 further proved directly by our sometimes finding adult specimens over great depths (1000 

 — 2000 meters) at a distance of for example 100 — 200 meters from the surface. This was 

 not seldom the case, for example, in the Bay of Biscay, and if we were thus able to take 

 these swift fishes in the young-tish trawl with its ca. 2 miles per hour speed, it is certain 

 that there must have been large quantities of them. 



A second condition which makes me think Gadus Poutassou a pelagic fish is, that its 

 larvae always occurred in the same manner in the waters to the south of Iceland and always 

 accompanied by the fry of the Norway haddock (Sebastes marinus). As I have already de- 

 scribed and represented on charts \ the fry of the latter species are purely oceanic in their 

 occurrence, living close to the surface over great oceanic depths in colossal numbers to 

 the S. and W. of Iceland, but almost lacking in the coastal belt over shallow water, just 

 like the fry of Gadus Poutassou. That Sebastes marinus is a true pelagic fish, 

 which lives over great oceanic depths at a certain distance (about 200 meters) 

 under the surface, has been proved with certainty by Hjort^ by various experiments with 

 floating long lines, by means of which large full-grown specimens were taken in quan- 

 tities. If therefore the fry of Gadus Poutassou occur in the same manner and in the 

 same hauls near the surface over great oceanic depths as the fry of the proved pelagic 

 species Sebastes marinus, it seems to me there is every reason to believe that the adult 

 Gadus Poutassou also lead a pelagic life, like Sebastes, occurring in the upper or middle 

 layers of water over great depths '■'. Several of our hauls indicate that the spawning G. Pou- 

 tassou instead of being at the bottom live pelagically up in the water; thus, the earliest 

 postlarval stages occur in greatest numbers in the neigbourhood of the surface (as for 

 example the corresponding stages of the cod and other species spawning in depths less 

 than 200 meters), whilst in the deep hauls, e. g. with 800, 1000 or 1200 meters wire, 

 no specimens or extremely few were found (see for example St. 63, 1905). 



It has been mentioned above that the spawning places of Gadus Poutassou were only 

 found beyond or near the 1000- meter line. If we consider however the distribution of the 

 tiny fry, as represented on Chart IV, and add thereto the information kindly given by Dr. 

 JoHAN Hjort, the Director of the Norwegian investigations, that these tiny fry have never 

 been taken during the extensive Norwegian investigations in the Norwegian Sea, we must 

 conclude that the spawning places of this species are not alone determined by the depth. 



even these old individuals live pelagically and (2) that the main direction of the currents in the parts of 

 the Atlantic investigated is from greater towards less depths. 



' JoHS. Schmidt, Fiskeriundersogelser ved Island og Fseroerne i Sommeren 1903 p. 42 and 46, and 

 PI. V, KJBbenhavn, 1904. This shows that we have taken up to 5000 pelagic fry of Sebastes per 20-min. 

 haul with the young-fish trawl. 



^ JoH. Hjort, Piakeri og Hvalfangst i det nordlige Norge, 1902. 



^ That this at least may be the case, we have already shown, as mentioned above. If Gadus Poti- 

 tassou should be taken in the bottom trawl, as not seldom occurs, this is no proof that it is a bottom fish, 

 because such undoubted pelagic fish as Sebastes, Argentina silus and even the herring have been taken in 

 the bottom trawl. When we took the adult specimens of Gadus Poutassou in the bottom trawl (at Ice- 

 land), Sebastes or other pelagic fish, e. g. Argentina silus, as a rule accompanied it. 



