[1^] THE FISHERIES OF SWEDEN. o-o 



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are not divided according to the number of nets, but every fi.licnnm 

 takes whatever fish have been caught in his net. 



The fishermen have therefore, besides the expense for buvino- and 

 repairing boats and nets, various losses from their income deriVed'from 

 the fisheries, so that the net income is not quite so large as would seem 

 at first sight. 



The fishermen of the Kulla region never stay near their nets over 

 Dight, even if the weather is fine, but sail home as soon as they have 

 set their nets, and go out again early in the morning to haul them in 

 It of course depends on wind and weather how early they come home 

 with the fish. Frequently they do not get home till noon, and even 

 later. As soon as the boat touches the shore, the nets are carried on 

 land in their troughs, and are spread out on a sort of pavement speciallv 

 made at small stones. The women then take oft' the fish The fisher 

 men carry the dry nets down to the boat, and after eating a meal they 

 ag^in go out to set their nets. Especially in the beginning of the 

 fisheries, when the weather is still warm, it does not improve the herring 

 to let them he on the ground exposed to sunshine and rain. At all the 

 I Skane fishing stations the fish are sold exclusively in a fresh con- 

 dition. 



i The herring dealers come with horses and wagons to the fishing 



I stations, and the herring which they buy from the fishermen they take 

 . farther inland, where they are sold wherever a chance offers The 

 country people salt their own supply of herring for the winter In 

 I August while the harvest is still going on, the farmers have no rime 

 I to salt herring, and in fact would not do it at all during the dog-days 

 1 At that season of the year, therefore, the sales are not so large, and 

 I he number of buyers is smaller. Under these circumstaiices it may 

 happen that when the boats which come home late bring in a consider 

 1 able quantity of herring (from 16,000 to 24,000) a great fall in prices is 

 I produced thereby, so that sometimes 80 fish (a so-called val) will 

 I ^fiTf "^,7^°^ y^^ ^^°^«] i" the morning and only from 25 to 50 ore 

 , [6.7 to 13.4 cents! in the evening, which gives rise to stories of enor- 

 ] -mously rich catches and low prices, and tends prematurelv to lower the 

 I price of herring. Under such circumstances the fishermen must sell at 

 I any price they can get, because they cannot, without neglecting their 

 fisheries, sail to more distant markets, and because the herring would 

 suffer If carried tor any great distance. During the good herring years 

 It would certainly pay on the coast of Skane to establish salt houses 

 and smoke-houses; and the competition which would be a natural 

 consequence would prove an advantage to fishermen. It is difficult for 

 il some of the simple-minded fishermen to understand that the price of 

 |j herring, like that of any other article of commerce, must be regulated 

 ,, by the supply and demand, and one olten hears the wish expressed 

 |i that the price might be regulated by some law, so as not to go below 

 a certain munmum. There has been considerable difference between 



