742 EEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHEEIES. [14] 



herrinii: had been caught with nets and seines from time immemorial, 

 and where these fisheries were of considerable imjiortance. 



A month previous to the promulgation of this law, which is still in 

 force, the ISTorwegian Government had an investigation made on the 

 south coast of l^orway near the Swedish frontier, with the view to im- 

 prove the sea fisheries. This investigation, in which, amongst the rest, 

 Prof. H. Kasch took part, led to very different views from those enter- 

 tained in Sweden. Thus, it was shown that the large seines were com- 

 paratively harmless, but that the small seines exercised a hurtful in- 

 fluence on the fisheries. This investigation was of great importance 

 to Sweden, as it was carried on very carefully and in the most ex- 

 haustive manner, and along a coast which comes close up to the Bo- 

 huslan coast, and greatly resembling it. 



The authorities at Gottenburg, therefore, asked the Government to an- 

 nul the provision of the fishery law relating to the use of seines, basing 

 their request on the opinions of Norwegian naturalists, such as O. N. 

 Loberg and Axel Boeck. 



During the first two years of my investigations I treated in the most 

 thorough manner possible the question as to the care of the herring and 

 sprat fisheries, and the alleged help extended to them hy prohibitiug 

 the use of large seines with narrow meshes, and showed that the strict 

 carrying out of this provision would be hurtful rather than helpful. To 

 prove still more fully that the old views were entirely untenable, I 

 pointed to the regular secular periodicity of the great Bohuslan her- 

 ring fisheries. The return of a new herring period during the winter 

 1877-'78, although during the ten preceding years fisheries had been go- 

 ing on with large seines having narrow meshes, utterly refuted the old 

 theories on which the provision in question was based. 



As regards the secularly periodical fisheries, it would hardly be possi- 

 ble to exercise any special care, as the inroads made by man are very 

 insignificant compared with the enormous masses of herring. Only 

 during that part of the herring period when the herring approach the 

 coast for the purpose of spawning, one should see to it that they are not 

 hindered from going to their spawning places, and that the spawning pro- 

 cess is not disturbed by seine fishing. The seine fisheries near the coast 

 cannot be said to have had a hurtful influence on the proi^agation of 

 the herring, as they do not disturb spawning or hinder fish from ap- 

 proaching the spawning places; they only yield herring which have 

 spawned some time previous, or such as have not yet reached their 

 sexual maturity. Objections may be made to any kind of apparatus no 

 matter how innocent, but in fisheries of such enormous dimensions as 

 the great Bohuslan herring fisheries such objections have no weight. 



As regards the permanent small herring fisheries carxied on on the 

 coast, something might be done by exercising proper care, and Bohuslan 

 has already, in the regulation of June 19, 1872 (prohibitiug small seines 

 with narrow n^eshes), a suitable legislation in this regard, which, if prop- 



