— B5 — .TOHS. SCHMIDT 



In the Norwegian Sea, for example, in tlie parts investigated by us to the N. of the 

 Fœroes and N. and E. of Iceland, there are large areas where the depth is greater than 

 1000 meters, but where the early fry of Gadus Poutassou were nevertheless wanting. It 

 strikes one at once that the much lower temperatures and the lower salinity are the cause 

 why the fry of this species are absent there. In other words this distinctly southern 

 species, which even occurs in the Mediterranean, requires higher temperatures (and sal- 

 inity) in order to spawn than are found elsewhere than in the true Atlantic an Medi- 

 terranean. Thus the Norwegian Sea is excluded as spawning place, in spite of the fact 

 that large quantities of adult G. Poutassou may occur there even as far north as between 

 Jan Mayen and Iceland i, — new evidence of the fact often mentioned here that a species 

 is frequently more bound to definite external conditions at the spawning time than at any 

 other parts of its life! 



With regard to the spawning time of G. Poutassou, 1 have no direct observations 

 beyond that in mid-July at Iceland we found some spent specimens, but to judge from 

 the size of the postlarval stages, it must be in winter and spring, even if it apparently 

 takes place somewhat later in the north than further to the south. 



At the end of May and in the beginning of June we found quite small specimens 

 ((3 — 7 mm.) in the waters to the south of Iceland, and there can be no doubt that these 

 were not spawned earlier than in May or April. But it is also without doubt that the 

 specimens we found in the Bay of Biscay in the beginning of May, none of which were 

 less than 3 cm. long and the majority 6 — 7 cm., must have been spawned considerably 

 earlier, probably already at the end of the winter, even if the growth may proceed more 

 quickly here than in the north on account of the higher temperature. 



We may conclude therefore that the spawning time for Gadus Poutassou is from 

 February to April and thus be on the safe side, though it will probably prove that the 

 period is even longer, and it is certain that there is no small difference in the spawning 

 time, e. g. at the south of Iceland and in the Bay of Biscay. 



§ 3. The geographical distribution 



1. Iceland 

 On the S., W., N. and E. of Iceland we had stations at the depths over which the 

 early pelagic fry of Gadus Poutassou, occur, but it was only on the south of Iceland 

 that they were taken, in the unmixed waters of the Atlantic with high 

 salinity and temperature (over 35-20 °/oo and ca. 8° — 9" in May and beginning of 

 June) over depths which varied from far over 2000 meters to ca. 1200 

 meters. We found them in all four years 1903, 1904, 1905 and 1908 at the end of May 

 and beginning of June, and the majority of the specimens were small, less than 

 1 cm. long. Whilst the young of other gadoids never occurred with the young of Gadus 

 Poutassou, these were constantly accompanied by the fry of the Norway haddock {Sebas- 

 tes marinus), which is distributed over enormous areas of the ocean S. and W. of Iceland 

 over great depths and occurs there in immense quantities (see: Fiskeriundersogelser ved 

 Fsereerne og Island i Sommeren 1903, Fl. V ; Skrifter No. 1, udgivne af Kom. for Hav- 



' Ad. S. Jensen, On Pish-Otoliths in the Bottom-Deposits of the Sea (Meddel. Komm. Havunders., 

 Serie: Pialseri, Bind I, No. 7, 1905. 



