Fishing In The Fjords

[Music] [Applause] [Music] on the northwestern coast of Norway the waters of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans merge and pour into steep-walled fjords which indent the rocky and mountainous seacoast there are to be found the villages and fishing stations of them the footin Islanders center of its great prodding industry the simple wooden Church of these hearty god-fearing people is close by the snow-covered Cemetery where they rest eternally after their arduous struggle with life and the scene during weeks of toil the fishermen reside in huts and shacks many of them government built surrounded by the odor of drying fish life in the villages the year round this deadly monotonous except during the fishing season then the villages and stations come to life and thousands of fishermen flock to them in boats which trace their ancestry back to the Vikings ancient craft [Music] early in the morning the official black flag is raised indicating that it is safe for the boats to put out for the fishing banks from June to January the cod fish swimming in tremendous schools provide the fisherman with food medicinal and other products which are exported to all parts of the world big power trawlers which engage in net fishing haul their door is fastened one behind the other to the fishing banks [Music] sail craft and hen propel Dorries trail behind on the way up the nets are checked the line hooks baited on each line which has floats and sinkers to keep it at the right depth for cod fishing our folks about three feet apart sometimes a thousand two alive they are coiled in an open bucket put into a small Dory then played out at the fishing banks the fleet numbering as many as 3,000 vessels occupies a space about three miles long 1/3 of a mile wide but there is plenty of fish even for those who have to row off to the banks which are usually about ten miles from the station these husky men are well protected against the winters chill and while theirs is a long haul to the fishing banks where the larger boats have already laid their nets and lines everyone is assured of a full day's catch [Music] to fish with the long line is not very popular but still many do it who cannot afford larger boats and myths pulling in the line is hard work the weight of the long line and the fish already hooked is sufficient to draw the boat slowly forward [Music] while one of the crew pulls in the line over a wooden roller another gaps the fish and throws them aboard they don't have to complain about the results either with a fish from three to five feet long weighing from 10 to 30 pounds on every hook beside the line fishing there is net fishing the nets from 60 to 100 are fastened together and connected to floats and sinkers to keep them 30 to 80 yards below the surface at about the depth the cod swims after this long trailer is out for perhaps 2,000 feet behind the vessel comes the arduous task of hauling it in and taking care of the catch it takes a full day to let the nets out and haul them in again [Music] they are drawn over the side by a power windlass and caught by their gills are hundreds of big fish gapping the fish freeing them from the net Falls for skill that comes only from long experience but it is definitely done and rarely does one of them caught in the nets ever get away there is an old saying that beautiful weather is a sign of bad fishing which means that this day's wall won't be too good but the old saying seems to be wrong as net after net is reeled in filled with taught last year's catch at laputan was a hundred and sixty-two million pounds about three tons to each fishermen [Music] as the catch piles up the nets which are the working tools of these craftsmen of the sea are stowed away and the weights carefully placed in order it is a government rule that all votes must pull in the same direction but even with this precaution nets approximately five thousand yards long will drift across each other and become entangled but it is a point of pride with fishermen never to get so tangled up that they cannot free their own nipples snarl separated each boat follows in its own course falling in its gear and fish net after net is winched on board while it takes around a long time before they have their three miles of net safely in the last fish of the day's catch and the last float on board the boats are now ready to return to the harbor but going home is not a pleasure trip first comes the work of cleaning and handling the fish which starts when the boat leaves the banks the heads are cut off and later prepared for use as fertilizer the entrails are removed and cast overboard and great flocks of seagulls follow the fleet swooping down on the refuse the row is saved to be shipped to the Mediterranean where it is used as bait for sardine fishing [Music] the seagull keep the fishing grounds clean in fact there are no cleaner waters anywhere than the harbors of the fishing fleets thanks to the hunger of these birds a large boats of the fish buyers patiently await the return of the fleet and their cargo it is not unusual for the work of handling and cleaning the fish to continue after the boats have returned to the fishing station the livers are carefully removed and put away to be sold to the cod liver oil processing plants I guess that's something we have all tasted the fish are inspected by the fish buyers they are then weighed to apportion to each man his share of the earnings of the catch some of the fish are split open spread out flat then salted later to be sent further south and dried where the air is not so damn such Carter called split caught the men who do this are specialists and know how to handle their great knives with much dexterity the tongues are cut from the heads when prepared they are not only a delicacy but a treat to delight the power on shore there are other tasks to be done the Nets have to be hung on poles which are outside their doors to dry in the crisp breeze [Music] afterwards they are inspected for broken strands that must be mended before the next day's fishing toward the end of the day when everything is peaceful and quiet ship mates gather to enjoy a plate of delicious cod tongue which very few of us have ever tasted because the supply never quite exceeds the demands of the fishermen while some are washing down the boats others are discussing the day's catch with their friends still others are engaged in telling of the big cards they might have caught if they hadn't gotten away the balance of the fish which has been unloaded on the Ducks are tied together by their tails in pairs and hung carefully over the poles of the drying racks each owner must keep track of his own wrecks so that he'll be sure to get his fish when the day of removing them at the end of the fishing season arrives these are called stocked fish [Music] as the dawn of a new day rises over the laputan islands the place that has been called the land of sagas of poverty and riches a friendship and struggle the boats glide out toward the fishing banks a splendid sight a proud fleet the fleet of a peaceful work [Music]