LOFODEN NORWEGIAN COD-LIVER OIL. 
313 
great fishing commences: the exact date slightly varies in different years, but 
it may be approximately given as the first week in'February. The total num¬ 
ber of men then assembled is estimated at 25,000. The quantities of cod are 
prodigious, their numbers incalculable; a good or a bad season does not depend 
on the variable supply of fish,—that is, apparently always the same, and beyond 
computation,—but upon the weather, as every rough day which prevents the 
open boats putting out to sea occasions a serious loss to the whole fishery. 
Three different methods are employed in the capture of the cod; the deep 
line, the long line, and nets. When caught in nets, the fish are with few ex¬ 
ceptions, dead on being drawn out of the water; this is generally the case also 
with the long line, especially if stormy weather has delayed the fisherman in 
taking it up; with the deep line the fish are always secured alive. They are 
never killed, but left to die of themselves, which they do during their transit to 
the shore ; so that a catch of fish is always brought on laud dead, by whatever 
method it may have been taken. 
In Lofoden, the common and almost only bait is the herring, Clapea hnrengus; 
as herrings must be purchased, it sometimes happens that worms, mussels, or the 
cod-roe are employed. The fishermen who are obliged to use these obtain far 
less fish than those who can afford herrings, as the cod being assembled for the 
purpose of breeding, are not very much inclined to feed. The best bait of all, 
and the favourite food of the cod, is the capelin ; but by a very old Norwegian 
law, made long before the principles of commercial liberty were understood and 
practised, its use is prohibited at Lofoden because being obtained with diffi¬ 
culty, and only by few persons, the fortunate fishermen who had any, not only 
caught fish as fast as they could take them from the water, but gave the cod a 
disgust for all other kinds of bait, to the prejudice of their indignant neigh¬ 
bours. 
Every afternoon, at a given signal from the surveillance, those fishermen 
having nets or long lines, row out one'or two sea miles to their fishing-grounds, 
set their tackle, then row back and pass the night on shore. Next morning, 
the signal being again given, they all row out as before, take their catch and 
return with it during the forenoon. The fishermen with deep lines remain ail 
day at sea, leaving very early and returning in the evening; the distance these 
have to row is from four to seven English miles. 
As soon as the fisherman has come to shore, he proceeds to cut the head off 
every fish and takes out the roe and liver, thus distributing his catch into four 
groups. The fish is sold on the spot to purchasers or dealers, who are there for 
the purpose, or else the fisherman hangs it up to dry for himself, and later in 
the season, removes with it to the “ stoevnetid,” the home-time, meeting time at 
Bergen. The roe he usually salts immediately. 
The livers are disposed of in the following manner :—some he throws at once 
into large wooden vessels, holding from eight to twelve hogsheads, and, by fre¬ 
quent agitation and stirring with wooden beaters, obtains from them at the 
ordinary temperature, a fine transparent oil, which floats on the surface. This 
oil is drawn off and preserved separately. The livers thus partially exhausted are 
then either secured in barrels for the further purpose of oil burning at home, or 
else, being left in the open wooden vessels, suffer decomposition ; the oil produced 
becomes gradually darker, bubbles multiply, gaseous products are freely disen¬ 
gaged, accompanied with an exceedingly unpleasant, penetrating smell that may 
be perceived at a great distance. The livers that are not thus treated, the 
fisherman packs into barrels bought for the purpose. Day by day the livers 
produced by the day’s fishing are put into a barrel until it is quite full; it is 
then bunged and a new barrel begun. When the fishing is ended, every one 
takes the number of barrels belonging to him and journeys homeward. The 
best livers and the finest oil are taken from those fish that have just arrived 
