FISHERIES AND SEAL-HUNTING. 83 



pounds) in the autumn, to every 1,000 Abramis, Perca fluviatilis, and As- 

 pins rapax; and, on an average, 10 " ponds," (360 pounds,) to 1,000 Alosa. 

 A thousand small Cyprinus carpio, L., require from 15 to 18 " ponds" (540 

 to 618 pounds) of salt. 



A thousand fresh fish have the following average weight: Cyprinus 

 carpio. L., 120 " ponds," (4,320 pounds ;) Lucioperca sandra and Esox In- 

 dus, 100 "ponds," (3,600 pounds;) Lucioperca volgensis, 55 " pouds," 

 (1,980 pounds;) Abramis brama and Aspius rapax, 50 "pouds," (1,800 

 pounds;) Perca fluviatilis, 35 "pouds," (1,290 pounds;) Scardinius ery- 

 throphthahnus, L., 32 " pouds," (1,152 pounds;) and the various kinds of 

 Alosa, from 20 to 25 " pouds," (720 to 900 pounds.) 



The differents kinds of sturgeon and the Silurus require from 12 to 13 

 pounds of salt to every " pond " (30 pounds) of fish ; and the large Cy- 

 prinus carpio, L., the Salmo salar, and the Coreyonus leucichhys, Giildeust., 

 12£ pounds to every " poud " of fish, (36 pounds.) 



In the autumn, the back, and not the belly, of the scaly fish is split 

 open, so as to let the salt saturate more thoroughly. 



The fish remain a longer or shorter time in the box according to the 

 different species : Lucioperca, one month ; Cyprinus carpio, L., 6 days ; 

 Silurus, till autumn ; Abramis, 12 days; the i different kinds of Alosa till 

 the month of June. The brine of the Lucioperca is again used for salt- 

 ing the Abramis or the Leuciscus rutilus, while the brine of the other 

 scaly fish is thrown away. 



In the spring, the fish are taken from the boxes, washed, and dried 

 on poles. This is done particularly with the Lucioperca, the Abramis, 

 and the Leuciscus rutilus, L. ; while the Cyprinus carpio is dried on hur- 

 dles made of reeds. The drying process being completed, the fish are 

 taken from the poles, or from the hurdles, laid up in warehouses, and in 

 July shipped by steamer toNijni-Novgorod. In September, large boats 

 arrive at the " vatagas," (fishing-establishments,) where they buy the 

 fish on the spot, being salted before they are shipped. 



The so-called herring, Alosa caspica, is not dressed, but is salted as it is. 

 Up to the years 1854 and 1855, the Astrachan herriug were only used for 

 extracting the oil from them. Even poor people, frightened by its name, 

 " beschenka," (the furious fish,) hesitated to use it for food. It is owing 

 to the efforts of the committee appointed for examining the fisheries under 

 the direction of Mr. Baer that several lessees of the fisheries finally con- 

 sented to salt the " beschenka " and the "jeleznitsa" under the name 

 of " herring." From that time, the Astrachan herring, as a salt fish, has 

 become more and more an artisle of commerce, while the extraction of 

 oil from it has diminished in proportion. Thus, there were salted in the 

 river-waters of Astrachan, in 1858, 43,000,000 of this fish, while the num- 

 ber rose to 140,000,000 in 1871, and to 160,000,000 in 1872 ; while during 

 the same year, 1872, only 30.000 herring were used in the manufacture 

 of oil. 



The " belouga," (Acipenser huso,) and the " sevriouga," (Acipenser 



