14 O. NOKDGAAKD [1915 



There has for a long tiine been a lucrative fishery for coalfish 

 during summer in the Skarnsund. Evidently, both cod and coal- 

 iish feed on eertain animal forms which are to be found among 

 the unusually rich colonies of coral he re abounding. 



Merlucius ineiiucius Lin. 

 Little is known as to the distribution of the hake (Norw. : 

 sølvlyr«) in this fjord. I have seen but a single specimen, a 

 female, 1. 90 cm., tåken at Blaahammer (Hommelviken) on the 

 16 /o 1913 by John Raanes. The ovaries were empty. 



Phycis blennioides Brunn. 

 This species (greater fork-beard; Norw.: »steinbrosme«) has 

 been reckoned as belonging to the rarer fishes of the fjord ; I 

 have, however, of late years seen a fe w specimens tåken there. 

 On the V2 1915, a $ 1. 54 cm. was tåken on a line by Johan 

 A. Nordbuen, at Halten, in 100 fathoms. Immature eggs in the 

 ovaries. Remains of crustacea in the stomach. On the 28 /i 1915, 

 a fisherman named Myhre took a $ of the same species in 

 Munkholmdyb, 1. 50 cm. Ovaries quite small. On the 28 /t 1916, 

 in the deep between Frosta and Leksviken, a ? 1. 63 cm. with 

 empty ovaries was tåken. 



Molva molva Lin. 



The ling, called by the Trondhjem fishermen »long< or 

 graalong«, is quite commonly tåken on the deepsea line at 

 various places in the fjord. V. Storm states that the largest 

 specimens from the fjord run to a length of 170 cm. I have 

 only once seen a specimen of this size. On the 16 /'4 1910 a 

 female of the species was tåken at Røberg, total length 170 cm. 

 Maximal circumference 74 cm., total w r eight 27 kg., weight of 

 roe 3.6 kg., weight of liver 2 kg. The roe was firm, but the 

 eggs large. 



On the 15 /5 1916, Dr. Hj. Broch, on the fish market in 

 Ravnkloa, saw a ling which had been laken at Vanvik. Ils 

 lotal length was 162 cm. 



Molva dipterygia Penn. 

 This species (Irade ling; Norw.: »blaalange« and > bjerke 

 lange«) likewise belongs to those tåken on the long line. On 

 the 27 /n 1907, at Ambornes, Leksvikstrand, we caught three 

 specimens, together with various other deep water fish, on a sel 

 of lines baited with slightly saltet herring. An old man at Lauv 

 tangen, Aasen, informed me that as late as 1850 or thereabouts 

 the trade ling was in his village considered as uneatable. Like 



