150 THE FISHERIES OF THE ADRIATIC, 



8s. 4d.), and sells the cured fish at 6-7 fi\ (ios.-iis. 8d.), the retail price 

 being 2-5 fish a penny (1-2 soldi a piece). 



The labour of salting and packing is carried on chiefly by women, for 

 which service they receive, as a rule, 5 soldi (id.) per mille pilchards, and one- 

 half of the damaged fish and of the pressed fat gained from the process of 

 curing. Some are paid as much as 1 2 soldi per mille ; the foreman receives 

 25 fl. per month during the curing season, and 10 fl. per month up to the 

 time of sale. Rovigno, in I stria, is the principal place of this industry, 

 which is, on the whole, flourishing, though the export to Italy has decreased 

 since 1866. The produce was 3,600 casks in 1872 ; that of Pirano was 

 1,400 casks Sardelle, and 600 tubs Menole, in 1870. This industry seems to 

 have declined since the former century. The Venetian Senate assigned to 

 the Commune of Rovigno an annual allowance of 580 tons of salt in 1753. 

 This is sufficient for curing 30,000 casks after deducting a third for domestic 

 purposes. Dalmatia exports from 30,000-50,000 casks of salt fish a year ; 

 Lissa, 10,000 casks. 



Meanwhile a new industry has sprung up at Barcola, Duino, and Grado, 

 consisting in curing the Pilchards in oil, after the fashion of the Sardines de 

 Nantes, in small tins and casks. Lissa exports 500 small casks of Sardines in 

 oil, and 3,000-4,000 tins, of which 2,500 are Sardines, 1,000 Anchovies, and 

 500 Mackerel. The fish is bought at 3-4 florins (5s. to 6s. 8d.) per 1,000, the 

 drift-net fish being preferred to the seine-net fish. The heads are cut off and 

 the fish gutted. They are next washed, put in baskets and strewed with salt. 

 After a lapse of eight hours, they are washed in sea- water and exposed to the 

 sun to dry on small gridirons. If the weather is damp, they are put in a 

 drying-room. They are then put into large kettles and cooked in oil heated 

 by means of steam. During the latter process they remain on the gridirons, 

 by means of which they are put into and extracted from the kettles. They 

 are then brought on to large tables, covered with zinc plates, and there 

 packed into tins of 6, 7, 8, 12, 20, 2>°> an d 50 fish. The open tins are put 

 into a large tank which is filled with oil, and in which they remain twenty- 

 four hours, so as to allow the oil time to soak the fish. The surplus oil is 

 then drained off by means of a tap, and the tins are taken out and soldered. 



