THE UTILITY OF SEA-FISH HATCHING. 



By G. M. DANNEVIG, 

 Director of the Marine Fish Hatchery at Flodevig, Norway. 



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From the middle of the last century the shore fisheries on the south coast 

 of Norway were steadily decreasing, and principally was this the case with cod 

 and flatfish. The cause of the decline "was commonly supposed to be overfish- 

 ing and especially the excessive use of small ground seines, by which the bays 

 and the small patches of clean ground adjacent to the coast were continually swept. 



In the beginning of the eighties the state of things became serious. The 

 fishermen as well as the public in general complained loudly, and several modes 

 of protecting the fisheries were proposed. At this period the Arendal Fish- 

 eries Society was founded, and being informed that the Fish Commission of the 

 United States had succeeded in hatching cod eggs, it was decided to try this 

 expedient as the only one available that could be used without inconvenience 

 to the fishermen. Consequently a small hatchery for cod was started and 

 maintained for four years, chiefly by private contributions. As an evidence 

 of the great interest in behalf of the enterprise, it can be mentioned that the 

 inhabitants of Arendal, a small place with less than 5,000 souls, during the 

 first five years contributed 24,232 kroner (equal to $6,550) toward the hatchery. 



Operations began in 1884 and, as was expected, spawning fish were very 

 scarce and difficult to obtain. The fish market at Arendal was visited almost 

 every day from the beginning of January to the end of March, and the whole 

 quantity of spawn collected was only 28 liters. The next year a small well- 

 boat was provided for buying up spawners on the coast between Bisor and 

 Homburgsund, a distance of about 40 miles, but with no great success, the 

 whole amount of spawn for the following three years being respectively 109, 153, 

 and 144 liters. In 1888 no fish could be had, on account of the ice blockading 

 the coast, and in 1889 no work was done, as the station then was undergoing 

 reconstruction, it having been found desirable to have it removed to another site 

 and enlarged. In 1890 the new hatchery was started with 42 hatching apparatus 

 against 9 in the preceding years, and as there was no chance of getting a full comple- 

 ment of spawners in Arendal or the neighborhood, a well-smack was dispatched 



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