Also in Western Norway there occar during the first months 

 of the year arrivals of ripe cod, at least as far south as the reef 

 of Jsederen. The fishing of the ocean cod coming up to the coast 

 here, thus coincides as to time and place with the spring herring 

 fisheries. The last mentioned cod fishery however does not in im- 

 portance come near to the Lofoten and Sondmore fisheries. The 

 Lofoten fishery is by far number one, then follows that of Sond- 

 more as no. 2, and that of the "West land" as no. 3. Even at 

 places lying between those mentioned, ocean cod is also being 

 fished, but, as far as has been hitherto ascertained, the amount of 

 fish is not so large as on the Lofoten and Sondmore banks, al- 

 though for instance on the Vigten banks and in the district Vester- 

 aalen — Soroen it is by no means unimportant. In these places 

 however the fishing sometimes fails. 



On a chart of Norwegian waters showing depth curves of the 

 sea bottom, will be seen that the edge oi the ocean banks, in 

 making a considerable bend inwards, formally points towards the 

 West-fjord; that thereby the chief direction of the movement 

 of the fish towards the coast is given, is considered to be af- 

 firmed by the experience of ma.ny years. It is therefore not 

 very likely that the cod living along the great edge should, when 

 the propagating time approaches, take the direct course on the 

 Lofoten; the fish will follow the edge as it runs on, and that 

 the stream of fish will then be directed into the West-fjord is 

 thereby given. 



Professor Helland*) says about this: "If the ocean cod, 

 which we know is a bottom fish, on its vvay to its spawning grounds 

 has no other guidance for its submarine navigation than the con- 

 figuration of the bottom, while the fish is following a depth suitable 

 for it, then the conclusion is obvious that the Lofoten fisheries 

 must be annually constant, because the present configuration of 

 the bottom has been essentially unchanged during the time known 

 to history." 



About the chief direction of the inward migration of the cod 

 there have, however, prevailed different opinions. 



Thus the renowned German geologist Leopold von Buch sup- 

 posed that the cod entered through the Gimsostrom and the Raft- 

 sund, and an older Norwegian author, amtmand Blom, thought 

 that the wide channel between Vsero and Eost was the great 

 entrance gate. 



*) Lofoten og Vesteraalen, p. 126. 



It is well known that no cod fishing worth mentioning takes 

 place on the continental side of the Vestfjord. A reason for this 

 is easily found. Between the coast line and the edge there is here 

 only an extremely narrow^ band, and the edge consequently very 

 abruptly sinks towards the bottom of the Vestfjord. In other words, 

 the bank plateau is here so small, that it does not afford suitable 

 fishing grounds. It is however likely too that there are no such 

 masses of fish along the inner edge as along the Lofoten edge 

 proper. There is reason to believe that the greater part of the 

 cod shoals that visit Lofoten start from the edge and bank plateau 

 situated to the north of Lofoten, and these shoals will, by following 

 the ocean edge, at last be directed to the fjord edge on the inside 

 of the Lofoten islands. Thus it is but little probable that large 

 masses of the fish coming from the north should pass across to 

 the continental edge of the fjord. 



On the other hand the bank plateau to the south of Lofoten 

 is not of such extent as that to the north, and can consequently 

 not support corresponding numbers of fish; besides, the cod fishing 

 that takes place on the coast of Helgoland shows that the cod living 

 more to the south choose more southerly ways for migrating to the 

 coast banks. In other words, it is likely that but a very small 

 part of the cod living to the south of Lofoten seek northward in 

 order to perform its spawning. 



The fish that have spawned in Lofoten, and escaped the fisher- 

 men there, seem also to return northward. Among other things 

 that go to show tliis, is the circumstance that the late fishing that 

 occurs (the so-called "skraapfiske") is most successfully carried 

 on off Vesteraalen (for instance at Gaukvsero). 



It is however a fortunate fact that the Lofoten fisheries have 

 been rather constant, season after season for centuries, which can 

 be explained by a considerable stability in the natural relations 

 that determine their course. It is no easy matter to point out the 

 positive and negative causes and the extent of their operation, but 

 in our searching for causes we shall at least find two prominent 

 ones, viz. the immense surrounding banks and their great power 

 of producing food for the fish. The ancient glaciers have scoured 

 our country, so it is less fit for agriculture; in return the same 

 glaciers have, by their contributions to the making of our ocean 

 banks, given some compensation for what spoil they have taken 

 from the land. 



