The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-06
THE copFlsH
Ten Billion Fish at One Time 4 q
Narrow strait.

Marrow ~2Strsit.
The Goldfish are running at Lofoten
and the great Norwegian industry OF
collecting and refining Gods livers Is
now having It's busy season, says the
Philadelphia Times. Lototen is ceIe-
brated the world over as a point from
which tourists may witness the mid
night sun. and because here also il to
be found that wonderful whirlpool
which Poe made famous In his De
scent Into the Maelstrom." But to
the Scandinavian 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 ced liver oil are made
end sent all over the world to the end
OF building up innumerable "rua
Gown human constitutions. The cod
FISH arrive ON the coast OF Norway dur
Ing January and February and tie run
continues until the end Of April. The
Pumber Of fish rivals that OF the great
ealmon runs IN u own northwest
coast. Over 10000, 600, 600 Goldfish are
estimated to have crowded into one
ijerd recently. Yet this was only one
shoal in hundreds. The average sea-
sons catch at Lofoten alene a u ges
from 1o,eoe.o 900 to {. 900, 600, depending
not On the supply Of ash but on the
variable weather conditions. It is
probably the advantageous formation
OF the land that causes the lsh to
some 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 IL called the Vsstf3ord.
The islands themselves are separated
from one another by nacrsw channels
through which the sea rushes with the
force OF a torrent every time the tide
rises and falls. There are a few inlets
or small fjords which run inland from
the Vestfjord. It is in these waters
that the Goldfish come every year ia
spawn. THE fish generally swarm on
tae banks surrounding the island, but
sometimes a shcal will wander into one
Of the inlets and then 1t Is that the
terrific erowding mentioned above &C.
ours. The Ostnoesfjord is an inlet nine
miles In length and one mills in width.
The 10000. 900, 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 80 closely az
to leavs barely sufficient room to move
and the crew Of $500 boats were con-
stantly at work hauling fish away,
There may have been more than TO-
0oo, 000, 600 fish present, as this esti-
mate ts based on the assumption that
each fish would monopol:ze ten times
Its bulk Of water in which to swim,
although reliable witnesses stats that
none OF the Ash could have had this
amount at it's 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
OF to the deep sea. Meantime, how
ever. hundreds OF other fishing boats
were at work capturing the cod, which
were swimming In numerous schools
out by the islands. From this some
estimate CT the remarkable quantity
OF fsh-which come annually to Lofoten
may be formed. One of the remark
able features Of these fishing opera
tons is that while the cod are run
ming no other fish can be found 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
it is q fact that eyen the herring used
by the fishermen as bait have to BIO
imported from a distance. The con-
dition, however, is a very fortunate
one for the eod-liyer oil manufactur-
ers.