314 KNUT DAHL 



piece of netting of finer mesh and adapted to retain herrings. 

 This latter case is e. g. in the Trondhjem fiord very common. 

 In this respect I may refer the reader to my paper: "Om 

 Fiskeriet med Strandnot i Beitstadfjorden", Aarsberetning vedk. 

 Norges Fiskerier (3) 1900. 



It is to me evident, that such phenomena are not due to 

 chance. They are in accordance with natural laws created by 

 the conditions of the fishing industry itself and the measures 

 which each fisherman in each locality has had to adopt in order 

 to bring his gear into accordance with the demands and needs 

 of his trade. A regulation enforcing any sort of minimum mesh 

 would then clearly render the majority of the gear employed at 

 the present time unfit for the catching of trout. The fishermen 

 would have to procure special trout-seines, and in using these 

 seines they would, in large numbers of cases, have to renounce 

 the capture of the shoals of herring or other seafish which at 

 the present time adds largely to their catch. 



Unless obstacles of a quite compulsory character are present, 

 it is thus irrational to charge this industry with the burden of 

 a regulation mesh. I cannot find that such obstacles are present. 

 My fishing experiments and the tables representing the fish 

 caught, clearly show that the rivers, river-mouths and their 

 immediate sourroundings must preminently be regarded as the 

 habitat of the young fish, while the young fish in the sea 

 are much more scattered. Certainly the young emigrate into 

 the sea and thus to some extent may be caught, but it must 

 be remembered that they live more scattered in the sea, 

 and that the majority in the course of a short time, during 

 summer, all grow to sizes which must be considered as fit 

 for food. 



Thus there is no scientific reason for estabhshing any mini- 

 mum mesh for this sort of gear on account of the trout. 



In this connection I also wish to point out the fact, that a 

 regulation, enforcing a minimum mesh for trout-fishing with 



