552 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



may own a number of boats). The men of the crew furnish their own 

 food, fuel and clothing. The owner is entitled to half the sales of fish, 

 and 'the remainder goes to the crew in the following proportions: 

 There being 6 men in the crew, 4 of them get equal parts, the captain 

 receives the share of one man plus 10 per cent, and the cook half a 

 share. Dividing the proceeds into 23 parts, the boat owner is entitled 

 to 11 parts, 4 members of the crew to 8 parts, the master to 2 parts and 

 tlie cook to 1 part; the share of the master being increased by 10 per 

 cent, of 2 parts and that of each member of the crew diminished by 

 21/2 per cent. 



From the time the men begin to fish until the close of the season, 

 they pay to the government 1.10 francs per month, in consideration 

 of which they are pensioned on attaining the age of 50, provided they 

 have served 300 months on sea duty (either in fishing or in any other 

 maritime occupation). They also pay 1.50 francs per month as 

 premium on an insurance fund which the government allows for in- 

 jury due to the vicissitudes of sea life. In case of death, the family 

 of the fisherman receives an annual pension depending on the size of 

 the family and on age and length of sea service of the deceased, the 

 minimum sum being 300 francs; naval service increases the pension. 



The average stock per boat in a given season varies greatly on 

 different parts of the French coast, depending on various local causes 

 besides the abundance of fish, such as weather, bait supply, local de- 

 mand, shipping facilities, energy with which fishing is prosecuted 

 and other evident factors. The boats fishing out of Brittany ports 

 have a larger average yield than those of other ports of the west 

 coast; and those in the Mediterranean have by far the smallest stocks. 

 Thus, in 1898, the average catch per boat was about 10,700 kilograms 

 of sardines in Brittany, 3,300 kilograms in the southern part of the 

 Bay of Biscay and only 745 kilograms in the Mediterranean. 



The construction of the first sardine canning establishment dates 

 from about 1845, since which time the growth of the business has been 

 almost uninterrupted. The factories gave to the sardine fishery a 

 great impetus, and to-day are the chief supporters of the very extensive 

 fishing operations in the Bay of Biscay. They employ many thousand 

 persons, at what are considered good wages, and in some of the fishing 

 towns give work to practically all able-bodied persons who are not en- 

 gaged in fishing. In Concarneau, a town of 10,000 people, fully 3,000 

 men, women and children are directly connected with the sardine 

 canning business, besides the fishermen. Most of the work in connec- 

 tion with the canning of sardines is done by women and girls, a few 

 men being employed for special duties for which women are not 

 adapted. The factories are generally large stone structures surrounded 

 by a stone wall and inclosing a courtyard. Some are able to utilize 



