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Part III — Seventh Annual Report 



C. F. Drechsel, of the Royal Danish Navy. Two gun-boats, one in the 

 Cattegat and the other in the North Sea, are set apart for the superin- 

 tendence and inspection of the fisheries ; and since the 1st January this 

 year, when the new law relating to the fisheries came into operation, two 

 sub-inspectors, each with a small steamer under his control, and three 

 assistants in charge of sailing boats, have been appointed to aid in carry- 

 ing out the provisions of the law. These are chiefly (1) the prohibition 

 of seine or other trawling ; (2) the prohibition of selling fish under a 

 certain size ; (3) the establishment of close times ; (4) the closing of 

 certain waters. 



The income derived from the Danish oyster fishery belongs to the State, 

 and falls within the province of the Minister of Finance. 



The oyster fisheries are, however, at present closed by law, owing to 

 the threatened exhaustion of the beds from over-fishing in recent years, 

 especially in the Limfjord. 



The Danish Fishery Association, the president of which is Count 

 Moltke-Bregentved, was founded by private individuals, but is supported 

 by the State. The association has in every way endeavoured to promote 

 the interests of the fisheries, as by the formation of a fishery museum, the 

 establishment of signalling stations on the west coast of Jutland and the 

 institution of an insurance system for fishing boats. A Fishery Gazette 

 is published by the secretary, Mr A. Feddersen. 



In recent years the scientific inquiries in connection with the Danish 

 fisheries have been considerably extended and developed. By the direction 

 of the Home Department and the Ministry of Naval Affairs, Dr Petersen, 

 zoologist to the fisheries since 1883, has investigated the invertebrate 

 fauna of the fishing ground in the Cattegat. The preliminary results of 

 Dr Petersen's inquiries have been recently published,* together with an 

 illustrative atlas. The Southern Cattegat has many more Arctic 1 Baltic ' 

 species than the Northern Cattegat, which is richer in southern forms. 

 His investigations are still going on in reference to the laws that rule the 

 distribution and migrations of the invertebrate organisms and of fishes 

 in the sea. During 1887-8, Dr Petersen was engaged purely on 

 ichthyological work on board the gun-boat £ Hauch,' especially as to the life- 

 history and the season and mode of spawning. During his cruises he has 

 examined the surface fauna by means of the tow-net, and has found 6 

 new species of Diatoms, which at certain seasons are present in great 

 quantity in the Cattegat. 



The determination of the migration of the plaice has been attempted by 

 the affixing of marked labels to liberated specimens, as is done by the 

 4 Garland' in Scotland. 



The Danish Government has now 2 steamers engaged on fishery 

 investigations, and £2225 has been devoted to the construction of a 

 biological station (which will be open in October or November), so that 

 more accurate knowledge of Danish food fishes may be obtained. 



The Danish fisheries are now regulated by the law of 8th August 1888, 

 which was passed in accordance with the recommendations of a fishery 

 commission appointed to consider regulations for the conservation and 

 development of the fisheries. 



The English beam-trawl has not been much employed in Danish 

 waters, and its use was made illegal in 1872. Small seine trawls have 

 been used (those of the Cattegat being called Snurrevaad), and are worked 

 by 2 boats, 1 anchored and the other propelled by oars or sail, in 

 much the same manner apparently as the seine or circle-net is used in the 



* Devidenslcabelige Udbytte cif Kanonbaaden ' Hauchs ' Togter. , I. Eehinodermata. 

 Copenhagen, 1889. 



