III. 



Caii we enter into Coinpetition with the Foreigu 



8team-trawlers in our Seas oiitside tlie Danish 



Territorial Limits 



By C. G. Joh. Petersen. 



It is a great advantage to the fisheries in Denmark proper that the 

 fishermen need but go a verj^ short distance from our principal market, 

 (Jopenhagen, to reach the fishing-places. Tliis makes it possible to carr}' 

 the fish to the market not only in fresli (unsalted) condition, without ice, 

 but often Hving. The goods are therefore first class, and can fetch very 

 high prices. I believe there are few piaces in the world where the fishing 

 is carried on so skilfully and gives such a large income, within such a small 

 district as our fjords, helts, and shores within the Skaw. But, on the 

 other liand, it is only of the fisheries on our shores, in low water, that I 

 can speak in this way. In the more open seas, the North-Sea, the 

 Skager-Rack, nay even in the deep eastern part of the Cattegat, we are 

 behind our neighbours in turuing the stock of fish to our profit. The only 

 fishery of auy greater importance which we carry on in these seas is the 

 plaice-fishery, which, as it is well known, is based on the catching of hving 

 jilaice at rather high prices, and is carried on with seines from welied smacks 

 on depths which, as a rule, are less than c. 30 fathoms. Nearly all other 

 species of fish from the deeper parts of these more open seas, haddocks, cod, 

 pole dåbs, etc, we leave to Sweden, Norway, Englaud, Germany, etc, 

 whose Hshermen here, on depths down to c. 150 fathoms, but in the imme- 

 diate vicinity of our shores, catch annually for millions of Kroner of fisJi, 

 which they sell in all other countries tlian in Denmark. What we catch 

 along the western shore of .Jutland — wlien we except the plaice-fishery — 

 is little compared to the fishery carried ou here i)y foreigners. The reason 

 of tilis is, partly, that we have only one harbour on the western shore of 

 Jutland; but this is not the principal reason. 



Both the general public and members of the Rigsdag have so often 

 deelared that Denmark, aftor all, must have a better chance of carryiiig on 



5 



