ON THE ECONOMICAL USES OF FISHES. ] 95 



continue to take them until the middle of August, 

 when they are found on some banks off the mouth 

 of the Elbe. At the beginning of the season tli(:!- 

 drag-net is used, which brings up not only turbo t 

 but many other flat-fish in great abundance, but, as 

 the season advances, and the fish retire to deeper 

 water, where the net cannot be used with advan- 

 tage, recourse is had to the hook and line. The 

 lines used for this purpose are sometimes three miles 

 in length, and the number of hooks on each varies 

 from six to eight hundred, each baited with a small 

 fish, which requires to be very fresh, and such as 

 are of a bright colour are generally found to answer 

 best. To prevent lines of such immense length from 

 being shifted, or even carried away by the tide, 

 large masses of lead, or sometimes small anchors, 

 are attached to them. The Dutch are said to have 

 (kawn not less than £80,000 a-year from the turbot 

 sent by them to the London market, Avhere it seems 

 to be prefeiTcd. 



The Dutch are said to furnish about one-fom'th of 

 the whole supply of this fish sent to London, besides 

 what is purchased from them at sea by our own 

 fishermen, and thus brought to market free of duty, 

 Avhich otherwise is £6 per boat. In the Channel 

 the French cany on a rather extensive turbot fishery, 

 the greater part of the produce of Avhich also enters 

 our markets. According to Mr. Yarrell, the number 

 of turbot brought to Billingsgate in the course of 

 twelve months, w^as 87,958. 



The only other flat-fish used as food which we shall 



