Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1899-07-21
THE GOLDFISH INDUSTRY.
Fen Billion Fish at One Time In =
Marrow Sstrait-

Fen Billion Fish at One Time In =
Marrow strait
The Goldfish are running at Lofcten
and the great Norwegian industry OF
collecting and refining Gods livers Is
now having its busy season, says the
Philadelphia Times Lofoten is ceIe-
brated the world over as a point from
which tourists may witness the mid
night sun, and because here also Is to
be found that wonderful whirlpool
which Poe made famous in his De-
scent Into the Maelstrom.v But to
the Scandinavians the place Is honor
ed chiefly because within a radius OF
a few miles of the islands are captured
all OF the Goldfish from which millions
OF gallons OF cod liver oil are made
and sent all over the world TO the end
OF building up innumerabIe run
down" human constitutions. The cod
hsh arrive on the coast OF Norway dur
Ing January and February and the run
continues until the end of April. The
number OF fish rivals that of the great
salmon runs on our own northwest
coast Over 10000 ,000, 900 Goldfish are
estimated TO have crowded into one
ford recently Yet this was only one
shoal in hundreds. The average sea-
sons catch at Lofo;en alone ranges
from 100000 to 50,000. 900. depending
not on the supply OF fish but on the
variable weather conditions. II in
probably the advantageous formation
Of the land that causes the fish to
come to Lofoten every year. The Lo-
foten islands extend in a rocky chain
along the northwest coast of Norway.
The arm of the sea which divides them
from the coast Is called the vestf1ord.
The islands themselves are separated
from one another by narrow channels
through which the sea rushes with the
force OF torrent every time the tide
rises and falls There are few fnlets
Or small fjords which run inland from
the Vestfjord- 1t is in these waters
that the Goldfish come every year to
spawn The fish generally swarm ON
the banks surrounding the island, but
sometimes shoal will wander into one
OF the inlets and then it is that the
terrific crowding mentioned above oc-
ours The Ostnoesfjord is an inlet nine
miles in length and one mile In width
The 10000, 600, 900 fish mentioned
crowded themselves into this narrow
strait and because of lack of swimming
space were compelled to stay there
nearly three weeks. Between the depth
OF sixteen and forty fathoms the fish
were packed together so closely a.
to leave barely sufficient room to move
and the crews OF $500 boats were con-
stantly at work hauling fish away.
There may have been more than TO-
DOC. 600. 900 fish present, as this esti-
mate is based on the assumption that
each fish would monopolize ten times
its bulk Of water in which to swim,
reliable witnesses state that
none Of the fish could have had this
AMOUNT at its disposal Thirteen mil
ion fish were captured in the inlet
before the school was able to loosen tt
self from between the wedge formed
by the shores of the inlet and scurry
IN TO the deep sea- Meantime, how
.ver, hundreds Of other fishing boats
we're at work capturing the cod, which
we're swimming in numerous schools
,ut by the islands From this some
OF the remarkable quantity
II fish which come annually to Lofoten
nay be formed. One OF the remark
Ible features of these fishing opera
ions is that while the cod are run
ling no other fish can be found on the
cast Whether they know enough
" instinct to leave before the cod APP
ear or whether the school In its prog
ess devours everything that comes In
IS way is not easily determined, but
is fact that even the herring used
" the fishermen as bait have to b.
from a distance The con-
ition, however, is a very fortunate
ne for the cod-liver oil manufacture
IS.