44 



H. C. DANNEVIG. 



1898 and 1899 the winds were very favourable, and four 

 years after the best fishing was enjoyed. The winds again 

 became very "unfriendly" in 1900 and 1901, which was 

 followed by great scarcity of fish in 1904 and 1905. In 

 1902 the winds suddenly changed for the better, and it will 

 be seen how the abundance of fish increased from the 

 greatest scarcity in 1905 to above the average in 1906. 

 (See curve E which represents about 90°/ u of the total catch). 

 In the very close and detailed correspondence that is seen 

 to exist between the dominating wind for any particular 

 year and the abundance of fish four years hence, it is 

 necessary to recognise a striking demonstration of cause 

 and effect. The possibility of coincidence is not only fully 

 excluded, but it is seen also that while the curves correspond 

 with one another in the present comparison, they do not 

 fit in if compared in any other way. It is unfortunate that 

 the fish returns are unreliable prior to 1897, but from the 

 records available, it is certain that fish were more plentiful 

 in 1896 than in 1897, and this evidence, though general, 

 is of strong corroborative value as supplementing the more 

 direct evidence for the following ten years. 



In this paper it has first of all been demonstrated that 

 the abundance of fish on this coast is fluctuating in a 

 manner that cannot fully be ascribed to the action of man; 

 over-fishing alone is not a sufficient explanation. Secondly 

 it has been demonstrated that the yearly dominating 

 wind-direction is also fluctuating, some years it tends from 

 the sea to this coast, and at other times from the coast 

 seawards ; and thirdly we find that the "ups" and "downs" 

 in the abundance of fish correspond with the "ins" and 

 "outs" of the dominating wind directions four years 

 previously. Apart from the scientific aspect of this dis- 

 covery, it has also great practical consequences and a 

 direct bearing upon legislation as to closures, etc. Further- 



