The Utility of Sea Fish Hatching. 
From the middle of the last century the shore 
fisheries on the south coast of Norway were 
steadily decreasing, and principally was this the 
case with cod and flatfish. The cause of the de¬ 
cline was commonly supposed to be overfishing 
and especially the excessive use of small ground 
seines, by which the bays and the small patches 
of clean ground adjacent to the coast were con¬ 
tinually swept. 
In the beginning of the eighties the state of 
things became serious. The fishermen, as well 
as the public in general, complained loudly, and 
several modes of protecting the fisheries were 
proposed. At this period the Arendal Fisheries 
Society was founded, and being informed that 
the fish commission of the United States had 
succeeded in hatching cod eggs, it was decided 
to try this expedient as the only one available 
that could be used without inconvenience to 
the fishermen. Consequently a small hatchery 
for cod was started and maintained for four 
years, chiefly by private contributions. As an 
evidence of the great interest in behalf of the 
enterprise, it can be mentioned that the inhabi¬ 
tants of Arendal, a small place with less than 
5,000 souls, during the first five years con¬ 
tributed 24,232 kroner (equal to $6,550) toward 
the hatchery. 
Operations began in 1884, and, as was ex¬ 
pected. spawning fish were very scarce and 
difficult to obtain. The fish market at Arendal 
was visited almost every day from the begin¬ 
ning of January to the end of March, and the 
whole quantity of spawn collected was only 
28 liters. The next year a small well-boat was 
provided for buying up spawners on the coast 
between Bisor and Flomburgsund, a distance of 
about 40 miles, but with no great success, the 
whole amount of spawn for the following three 
years being respectively 190, 153, and 144 liters. 
In 1888 no fish could be had, on account of the 
ice blockading the coast, and in 1889 no work 
was done, as the station then was undergoing 
reconstruction, it having been found desirable 
to have it removed to another site and enlarged. 
In 1890 the new hatchery was started with forty- 
two hatching appartus against nine in the pre¬ 
ceding years, and as there was no chance of 
getting a full complement of spawners in Aren¬ 
dal or the neighborhood, a well-smack was dis¬ 
patched for that purpose. In 1891 there was a 
marked increase in the cod fishery near Aren¬ 
dal, and still more so in 1892, so that a con¬ 
siderable part of the spawners could be bought 
there. In 1893 the whole number of spawners 
was obtained in Arendal, and the spawn col¬ 
lected amounted to 1,000 liters. From that year 
to the present time there has been no lack ot 
spawners at the Arendal fish market, and the 
quantity of spawn each year has varied between 
550 and 1,326 liters, not according to what could 
be had, but according to the sum voted by the 
Storthing for the hatchery. At present it would 
♦By G M. Dannevig, Director of the Marine Fish 
Hatcherv at Flodevig, Norway; paper presented before 
the Fourth International Fishery Congress. 
not be difficult to obtain 2,000 liters if required. 
It must be borne in mind, however, that natural 
spawning, introduced in £890, produces at least 
double the quantity of spawn compared to the 
old method, and that consequently the number 
of spawners can not be calculated direct from 
the quantity of spawn; but on the other hand, it 
is obvious that the cod has increased greatly 
in the vicinity since the hatchery was started. 
As mentioned above, the hatchery was started 
in 1884. That year a small quantity of fry, less 
than 1,000,000, was planted in a small fjord about 
ten miles from Arendal. In the following year 
the neighboring people sent me a letter with 
the information that a great many small cod 
had made their appearance, in fact more than 
the oldest inhabitant could remember. 
In 1889 the Bergen Society for the Promo¬ 
tion of the Norwegian Fisheries sent one of 
their chief members, the president of the propa¬ 
gation committee, as well as the State inspector 
of fisheries, to the fjord in question to investi¬ 
gate the matter. Their report, dated March, 
1889, says that there is no doubt that the num¬ 
ber of cod in the fjord has increased, and that 
this is the result of the planting of the fry, and, 
further, that there can hardly be any doubt that 
artificial hatching is the right course to take to 
improve the fisheries. 
In 1895 the Storthing decided that to get 
further proof of the utility of sea-fish hatching, 
fry should be planted in inclosel fjords in the 
same manner as before and without previous 
investigations. This was done, and in con¬ 
formity with the plan adopted our society ap¬ 
proached the public where fry had been planted 
in former years and asked their opinion as to 
the results. Twenty-two answers came in from 
parish councils, commercial marine societies, 
and from private parties and fishermen. The 
answers were unanimous, and to the effect that 
an unusual number of small cod made their ap¬ 
pearance wherever fry were planted, and, 
further, that the fish to a great extent were of 
a color differing from that of the local race.f 
These documents, however, when laid before 
the Storthing, caused a member opposed to sea- 
fish hatching to express a doubt as to their 
trustworthiness, and the government ordered 
its adviser in fishery questions to investigate the 
matter. His report, dated December, 1896, con¬ 
tains the following particulars: He had visited 
the principal places where fry had been planted 
between Fredriksald and Arendal, a distance 
of about 150 miles, and had questioned fisher¬ 
men and others, especially such as had not 
signed the documents. He had in most cases 
avoided making himself known, pretending to 
be a private individual who took an interest in 
the question, and thinks therefore that he got 
explicit and unreserved answers. Out of thirty 
persons with whom he had conferred, there 
were twenty-five who were of a decided opinion 
fThe cod on the south coast of Norway vary greatly 
as far as color is concerned, there being light gray, dark 
gray, red and yellow cod, according to race, nature of 
bottom, food, etc., and generally speaking, each fjord or 
stretch of coast has its own peculiar variety. 
that the planting of fry had caused a more or 
less considerable increase in the number of cod, 
two who thbught there was but a slight increase, 
and three who had observed no increase at all. 
In many places the people were certain that 
they could distinguish the broods planted in the 
different years, and that the size corresponded 
with the age. The cod now were partly ot a 
color different from what they used to be. He 
also found the inhabitants very eager to have 
more planted in their fjords, even if they should 
have to pay for it out of their own pockets. 
Since then our society has received a great 
many testimonials of the same tenor (60 alto¬ 
gether) and as they have been accompanied 
with cash to the amount of 10,000 kroner for 
fry delivered, their trustworthiness can hardly 
be doubted. 
In 1903, the Storthing, still doubtful, voted 
the necessary sums for the investigation ot 
fjords where fry were to be planted. The plan 
was to have them thoroughly overhauled before 
and after fry were put in, with the object of as- 
certaining the approximate number of cod o 
the year’s growth. A seine with very small 
meshes, 22 fathoms long and 2 j 4 fathoms deep, 
was used, and great care was taken to have the 
hauls made in exactly the same places and at 
the same season, the latter part of Septem er, 
when the fish would have a length of from 2 to 
4 inches, being agreed upon. The work was 
conducted by me, and controlled by an assistant 
to the fishery board, an implacable opponent to 
sea-fish hatching. 
Two fjords, No. 1 and No. 2, were thus over¬ 
hauled in September, 1903- In No. 1 fry were 
planted the following spring and both tjords 
again overhauled in September. In 1905 fry 
were planted in both fjords in April, after which 
they were overhauled in September the same 
year Fjord No. 3 was investigated by me 
alone, and in the following manner: First, 
overhauling in September, 1904, with subse¬ 
quent planting of fry in April, 1905; investigated 
in September same year. More fry planted in 
April. 1906, and a final overhauling the follow¬ 
ing September. As will be seen, all the fjords 
mentioned have been overhauled three times 
each. In the first and third, fry were planted 
twice, in the second only once. The results 
were as follows: 
Fjord No. 1.—About ten miles long, one 
mile broad, shaped like a horseshoe. Bottom 
of sand, clay, and mud, the shores mostly rock, 
covered with alga;, while the small creeks where 
the hauls were made were covered with seaweed. 
One hundred and six hauls were made each 
time and with the following result: September, 
1903, before planting, 426 yearlings; September, 
1904’, after planting, 1,523 yearlings; September, 
1905, after planting, i,i 33 yearlings. 
Fjord No. 2.—About i l / 2 miles long by one- 
third of a mile broad. Bottom as in No. 1. 
Many of the small creeks liberally covered with 
sawdust. Twenty-one hauls each time, resulting 
as follows: September, 1903, before planting, 
36 yearlings; September, I 9 ° 4 * before planting, 
