304 REPORT OF C0MMIS8I0NER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [4] 



sess some data, fiiniisbed by Mr. Th. E^ilsou, of Havuctiord, and i)ub- 

 lisbed in 1882 in the Nationaliidende. Eroni these data it appears that 

 each ftsheriuan j^ets about one-half of the lish which he catches. F.ut 

 it is also the general custom that the fishermen get in addition all the 

 halibut and other lish which they may catch. Of the codtish and ha-d- 

 dock'the fishermen get ouedialf, while the other half goes to the owner 

 of the vessel. In the begiuiliug the owner furuislies the salt, but later 

 the fishermen have to buy their own s;dt. About 10 bushels of salt are 

 needed for ;320 i)ounds of klip-fish. AVith the exception of dinner, wh ieli 

 the owner provides, the fishermen must furnish their own meals. Dur- 

 ing tlie fishing si-asou, which lasts about three months, the following is 

 used for a crew of 10 or 12 men: 4 bushels peas, 4 bushels barley, and 

 fioia 40 to GO i)ounds rice. The owner gives the crew hot cofiee three 

 or four times a day. The ca])tain gets one-half of all the codfish which 

 he takes, and keeps all the otherfish which he may catch. He is boarded 

 (■ntirely by the owner, and gets 53 cents premium for every 100 codfish 

 caught by his vessel. He is also furnished Avith salt for his share of 

 the fish. The mate has free board, and is in other respects situated 

 the same as the captain, with the exception that he re(!eives no pre- 

 mium and gets only one-half of the salt which he needs. The cook gets 

 free board, $2.14 per month, and one-half of all the fish he catches. 



The herring fisheries ol" leelaiid are of comparatively recent origin. It 

 had long been know n that herring of excellent ([uality were found near 

 Iceland, and some Norwegian vessels had for several years nuxde vain 

 endeavors to make a good catch, when suddeidy success crowned their 

 efforts some years ago, and immense herring-lisheries sprang u^) in sev- 

 eral of the Iceland fiords. The Iceland herring is large and fat, and is 

 in great demand. In olden times an Iceland herring was a great deli- 

 cacy in Denmark, and as much as 80 cents was paid for one. The Nor- 

 wegians did a good business, as the herring cost them only from $2.14 

 to $2.08 per barrel, while they sold them at -StJ.TO and upwards per barrel. 

 Of the herring associations existing in Iceland, the Icelanders themselves 

 take part in 0; and 2 are exclusively composed of Icelanders. 



The Iceland herring tisheries, however, shared the fate of all fisheries; 

 /. c., they had their ups and downs. 4'his year, for example, the herring 

 fisheries in the Iceland fiords were not very productive, and the Nor- 

 wegians sustained consideiable loss, by lying out at sea for mouths, and 

 waiting in vain for the coming of the herring. People are inclined to 

 ascribe the failure of a fishery to excessive fishing. This assertion is 

 frequently made in Deinnark, and the same story now comes to us from 

 Iceland. As soon as the lisheries are less produ(;tive, or as soon as the 

 fish become scarce in tlu; market, it is said that excessive fishing drives 

 the fish away, or has begun to extenninate them.' But if we consider 

 the extent and depth of the Iceland fiords and the wealth of animal 

 life found in them, not even counting in the vast sea outside the fiords, 

 >ve are compelled to own that some other cause than excessive fishing 



