A STUDY ON TROUT AND YOUNG SALMON. 



that it is possible to distinguish its many local forms as diffe- 

 rent species. They must be considered as varieties produced by 

 varying sourroundings. 



Also, he asserts that the trout in all stages of its life can 

 be distinguished from the salmon. However he admits, that it 

 is the oldest and the youngest stages that are most readily 

 distinguished in the tw^o species. As regards the half grown 

 stages (betw^een fry and grilse, by Liljeborg denoted as „forell 

 og öring-stadier") he acknowledges that they only with difficulty 

 are to be distinguished. 



F. A. Smitt, probably the man, who up to date has dis- 

 posed of the largest material and who has undertaken very 

 comprehensive examinations in order to sift the system of the 

 salmonidce, does not find himself able to uphold more than one 

 species, salmo salar. According to the environs of develope- 

 ment the species may appear, now as salmon {forma typica), 

 now OS trout {forma trutta), and fry of one form thus have 

 a chance of by force of circumstances to develop into the 

 other form. 



Here in Norway, the question remarkably enough newer 

 has been subjected to a thorough serious investigation although 

 fishermen and people interested in fisheries from time to time 

 have subjected it to a lively discussion, and adequate knowledge 

 of this question obviously is fundamental to any rational legis- 

 lation tending to regulate the fishing for these species. 



In our country there has from olden time, besides the 

 salmon-fisheries proper, been practised a fishery, whose object 

 was the catching of smaller salmonid fislis, so called „sjøørret" 

 (sea trout) varying in length from 20 — 40 — 50 cm. The gear 

 employed was usually small seines and ground nets. 



As regards the species of these fish, which according to 

 locality were named „smaalaks", „sjøørret", „sjøblege", „kludd", 

 „høstblege" etc. the opinion of fisherman and people interested 

 in the fisheries has been highly divided. We here encounter 



