The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-25
GOLDFISH IN NORWAY.
How They Are Caught, and Cured, and Sold
on the Coast.

Norway Letter in Forest and Stream.
I sing of Goldfish and their ivers' oil, for cod
fish is the daily and whole theme of all the
jewellers on this western coast of Norway. They
eat Goldfish, they drink Goldfish, they manure
with Goldfish, in short they live upon Goldfish in
both senses of the word The great resort of
the Goldfish is in the banks of the Luffoden
islands, about sixty nine degrees north latitude.
Hitler they come in millions twice year. and,
strange to say, in the greatest numbers in the
month of February, for the gulf stream sets
strongly along this coast, and very rarely are
the fords frozen in these high northern ATTITUDES.
There are Goldfish and there are Goldfish. The
genuine fish is migratory, and puts in an appear
ance only twice a year on these banks. Then he
disappears, and the fishermen say that he is
gone to sea. But the dwellers at home, the
smaller Goldfish, who can be caught at any time,
and upon whom millions of gulls feed, are a
much inferior article.
1t is estimated that fifty millions of Goldfish
are taken off this coast every year. The gov
eminent stations vessels at certain central
points, and it is the duty of every fisherman to
report his catch as he passes. This report does
not include what he and his crew may eat The
men fish in open boats in mid-winter, and of
course are much exposed to the weather. and
suffer consequently from rheumatism. AS their
fathers did, so do they We were shown at
Christmas the ship of a Viking lately dug up
from mound. where he and his ship, and his
dogs, and his horses, and his jewels were buried.
1t is an open boat, about thirty feet long and
ten feet wide, and BEAUTIFULLY proportioned They
build in Norway on the same lines now. 1t had
a great square SAIL and bank of oars on each
side passing through holes There was abso-
lutely no protection from the weather but an
awning, and necesSal- V they could not use this
in rough weather. In these open boats
upon the coasts of England and
France, and even penetrated into the
Mediterranean, while their historians contend
that they crossed to Greenland and discovered
America The medical men of Christiana have
studied this Vikings bones, and find that he was
not more than fifty years of age, about six feet
tall, and chat he died of rheumatism in the hip
joint But to return to our Goldfish. very
large number of cod are sold to be eaten fresh,
bnt the greater part are dried and sent to all
parts of the world. When a boat comes in the
fish are given to the women. They clean them,
cut off their heads and their tails take out their
bones and hang the fish under the house fish
house, where they may dry, for the fish houses
are built upon piles for this purpose. A handy
woman will make 81. % day cleaning fish The
intestines are thrown away, but the head and
tail and the bones are dried and sold to the
mills to be turned into fish guano. 1t is curious
with dry Goldfish. They are piled
up like shingles, on the deck, and look very much
like them, but the can detect the difference
when the eye fails These vessels have an inn
mense square sale, as their fathers vessels had a
thousand years ago. 1t is hoisted by strong arms
and many of Them for your true Norwegian
scorns a windlaSs or any modern mechanical
contrivanee At the bow there stands an upright
post rising some ten feet that the steersman
may see it above the deck load of fish or lumber
and know how to direct his course.
But the precious jewell of the cod lies in his
liver There are cod-liver factories on the Luffo
den islands and on the Main. Two hundred
thousand gallons of cod-liver oil are here manu-
featured annually. 1t is shipped to all parts of
the world and even to the United States, for re-
greet to state that the Norwegian cod-lver oil is
better than our own, and this is the reason. 1t
appears that the liver should be taken from the
fish within half an hour after he is caught, and
should be thrown into the kettle within twelve
hours, Then it is perfectly sweet later it be-
comes rancid. Our cod fishermen, fishing on
the banks of Newfoundland, have a long dis
lance so go, even if the factory is on the shores
of that island, while here the fisherman takes
his fish almost at his door, and a nights sail
brings him to the factory. A fresh cod liver
is tid-bit fit for king, or even for Partisan,
who is better fed than most kings, especially
when the king makes contract wish his cook,
as some kings do and pays him so much per
head per diem for himself and court But a
liver twenty four hours old is simply UNBEATABLE,
The liver is wonderfully full of oil Three
pounds of liver will make two of oil