Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-07-27
THE GOLDFISH INDUSTRY.
Ten Billion Fish at One Time in a
Narrow Strait.

INFLOW strait.
The Goldfish are running at Lofoten
and the great Norwegian industry Of
collecting and refining Gods livers is
now having its busy season, says the
Philadelphia Times. Lofoten is cele-
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." But to
the Scandinayians the place is honor
ed chiefly because within a radius Of
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 innumerable run
down human constitutions The cod
fish 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, 100000 Goldfish are
estimated to have crowded into one
ford recently. Yet this was only one
shoal in hundreds. The average sea-
sons catch at Lofoten alone ranges
from 100000 to $4,000, 900, depending
not on the supply of fish but on the
variable weather conditions. 1t is
probably the advantageous formation
OF the land that causes the fish to
come to Lofoten every year. The Lo-
foten islands extend in rocky chain
along the northwest coast of Norway.
The arm of the sea which divides them
from the coast is called the Vestfjord,
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 a few inlets
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 a shoal will wander into one
OF the inlets and then it is that the
terrific crowding mentioned above &C.
ours. The Ostnoesfjord is an inlet nine
miles in length and one mile in width.
The 10000, 100000 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 as
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-
OO0,OO0,000 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,
although reliable witnesses state that
none of the fish could have had this
amount at its disposal. Thirteen mil
lion fish were captured in the inlet
before the school was able to loosen it.
self from between the wedge formed
by the shores of the inlet and scurry
off to the deep sea- Meantime, how
ever, hundreds of other fishing boats
were at work capturing the cod which
We're swimming in numerous schools
out by the islands From this some
estimate OF the remarkable quantity
Of fish which come annually to Lofoteu
may be formed. One OF the remark
able features of these fishing opera
tons IS that while the cod ere run
ming no other fish can be founa ON the
coast. Whether they know enough
by instinct to leave before the cod ap-
pear or whether the school in its prog
ress deyours everything that comes in
its way is not easily determined, but
il Is a fact that even the herring used
by the fishermen as bait have to be
imported from a distance. The con-
dition, however. is a very fortunate
one for the cod-liyer oil manufacture
ers.