424 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



of 14,000 francs, of shad to the value of 9000 francs, and of 

 smelts to that of 16,000. Although this is probably far from 

 representing the total catch of these fish, it is the highest 

 figure reported from all the districts into which the country 

 is divided. 



Among other points connected with the fisheries of France, 

 we find one feature referred to in the statistics of these fish- 

 eries that might very properly be imitated in our own coun- 

 try namely, the establishment of extensive reservoirs both 

 for fish and crustaceans, in which the living fish are placed 

 after capture, and kept for an indefinite period of time, or 

 until wanted for the market. Of course, the floating boxes 

 used in Boston and New York for keeping fish alive, in the 

 vicinity of fish-markets, answer a certain purpose ; but the 

 French establishments are on a very large scale, and capa- 

 ble of keeping in excellent condition many hundreds of tons 

 of fish each. Ilemie Maritime et Coloniale, March, 1874, 818. 



ALASKA COD-FISHEEIES IN 1873. 



According to the Alaska Herald, seven vessels were en- 

 gaged throughout the summer of 1873 in the capture of cod- 

 fish on the coast of Alaska, with a total yield of 583,000 fish, 

 or an average of 83,285 per vessel. 



THE SEAL AND HERRING FISHERIES OF NEWFOUNDLAND. 



A valuable tract has lately been published by Michael Car- 

 roll, of Bonavista, Newfoundland, upon the seal and herring 

 fisheries of that island, which contains what appears to be a 

 very thorough and trustworthy account of the subject. In 

 regard to the herring, this writer remarks that as soon as the 

 ice moves off" the shore in the different northern bays in the 

 spring, herring strike in to spawn, and that they visit the 

 same harbor, cove, or creek each season, and very nearly on 

 the same day. If not prevented by ice, when the spawning 

 time arrives the herring will swarm to the beach, always se- 

 lecting a sandy one for such a purpose, and can be taken in 

 any desired number with the simplest form of nets. The 

 fish taken in the spring around the island are generally very 

 poor and of uniform size. Those taken in gill nets are supe- 

 rior in quality to those caught in the seines, and will keep 

 much longer without salt. This is due especially to the fact 



