[7] THE ICELAND FISHERIES. 83 
Valued at 470,000 crowns ($125,960), whilst the same number of men, 
in 54 months’ boat fisheries would only catch about 400,000 fish, valued 
at 83,000 crowns ($22,244), therefore not one-fifth of the revenue they 
might earn, if they used sea-going vessels. 
In comparing the exportation of fish from Iceland during the last 
year, which was a good fish year, with the average yield of the cod fish- 
eries carried on in Iceland waters by Frenchmen, it will become still 
more apparent that the Icelanders do not utilize this great source of 
revenue near as much as they might do. 
According to the official reports, France annually sends about 230 
vessels, most of them schooners and luggers of 100 tons burthen each, 
to engage in the Iceland fisheries. The crews number 400 in all, or on 
an average 17 men per vessel. The fisheries are generally carried on 
from March to September all round the island, beginning on the south- 
ern and western banks and finishing the season on the eastern banks. 
The annual yield amounts to about 12,500 tons or 25,000,000 pounds, 
representing in France a capital of about 5,500,000 crowns ($1, 474,000), 
or 24,000 crowns ($6,432) per vessel. 
The exportation of fish from Iceland during 1880 was as follows: 
Pounds. 
PROMS UIT ee ee cee eee ses tage ck Pocteto aie aio Suton cep oak ntciae eo eioteoeecsten sis 8, 238, 000 
MopMenmark:22. <2. cceiecsces ARE Sea ng BLE 6 NOON ee On ER eae es Sa Se el AD Re Ned 8 4, 758, 000 
Mopemr lands. ce cceraaascaicaincwccss cues sslccos eonceneosa sce Pee Aree 2, 920, 000 
UO tall eeee anes cece sae tamietawn oak bowieac skate wab eles Cees seee 15, 916, 000 
Calculating the home consumption at 6,400,000 pounds, Iceland’s share 
of the cod fisheries in 1880 would be 22,316,000 pounds, representing a 
value of 3,500,000 crowns ($938,000), t. €., 2,684,000 pounds less than the 
average yield of the French cod fisheries near Iceland. ‘The small town 
of Dunkirk in France, which every year sends 105 fishing-vessels to 
Iceland, receives as many fish from the Iceland banks as the total 
amount of fish exported in 1878, viz, about 11,800,000 pounds. 
If sea-going vessels were introduced by the Icelanders, matters would 
soon be changed, and the yield of their fisheries would be five times as 
large. Supposing that this development of the fisheries extended over 
the entire island, Iceland would be enabled to export six times as many 
fish as she does now, provided that the home consumption remained the 
same. 
The yield of the fisheries would be five times as large: Therefored x 
22,316,000 pounds, 111,580,000 pounds; subtract home consumption, 
6,400,000 pounds, would leave for exportation 105,180,000 pounds, whilst 
in 1880 the exportation only amounted to 15,916,000 pounds. 
Taking the average price of fish, the quantity exported would repre- 
sent the comfortable capital of about 16,000,000 crowns ($4,288,300), or 
about the same as Denmark’s exportation of agricultural products in 
1879. 
Just as Denmark is intended by nature for an agricultural country, 
