376 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [6] 



others haviug caverus whose depths shone in the most beautiful blue 

 and green colors. On the following day the Isafiord, oue of our fishing- 

 smacks, slipped through, while the Byrafiord was kept shut up in 

 Hofn Bay for several days. The remaining part of June we fished 

 along the west land, near Stigahlid, where on the 15th and 16th we 

 sought shelter from a violent southwest wmd. We caught a number of 

 fish which were swimming in shoals — so-called herring codfish — most of 

 them containing mature milt. This late spawning probably has some 

 influence on the fisheries, as the fish are not so voracious during the 

 spawning season. The low temperature of the air and water (the latter 

 on an average + 4P E. [41° ¥.] during June) and the strong current 

 from the land, which is supposed to have had some connection with the 

 unusual quantity of snow in 1883, great masses of water having rushed 

 into the sea when the snow melted, may have been among the causes 

 why there were so few fish on the banks. On June 23 there was a storm 

 from the northeast (temperature of the air, + 2° E. [36^° F.] ) near the 

 Fugle bjerge, but this storm lasted only till about noon of June 24, after 

 which day we had fine summer weather (if such on expression can be 

 applied to Iceland weather) all through June and far into July. 



A gentle wind and a cloudy sky are the most favorable conditions 

 for good line-fishing, while bright sunshine is unfavorable, as it seems 

 to make the fish lazy. It seems very probable, at any rate, that they 

 would rather snap after something that is alive than after a dead bait — 

 just as other mortals. As soon as the wind had gone down, we chose 

 a position near the Eosten as a starting-x3oint, with an average depth 

 of 45 fathoms. Hence we drifted with the current from Brede Bay in 

 a westerly direction, where we reached a depth of from 60 to 70 fathoms. 

 Here we found mostly torsk and sea-perch, and only a few codfish, most 

 of them small. Owing to a continued calm, we were kept away from 

 the land till the 30th of June, when a wind sprang up from the EjSTE. 

 which allowed us to reach the coast near the Staalbjerghuk after a sail 

 of about twelve hours. We had been driven out to sea from 8 to 10 

 Danish miles [about 42 English milesj. 



During the following days there was scarcely any wind, but, as the 

 fish which had been caught during June must be landed, and as we in- 

 tended to send letters home by the mail-steamer Laura, it was neces- 

 sary that we should reach the Dyra fiord (Thingeyre) in a few days. 

 If no wind sprung up, all we could do was to use the current running 

 in a westerly direction ; and in this way we managed to reach Sletnses 

 on July 3, and enter the Dyra fiord the same day. I mention this in order 

 to show the advantages which fishing affords under such circumstances. 

 While drifting along we fished, and near Straumnses caught about 100 

 large and fat codfish at a depth of 15 fathoms, within a short time. 

 When the current was very strong, we could not keep a sinker weigh- 

 ing 7 pounds on the bottom. 



During the 4th and 5th of July we landed our fish at Thingeyre ; 



