THE LANDINGS 125 



of Danish fisheries. Probably 1,000,000 

 may be taken as an approximate figure for 

 peace time the industry employing about 

 20,000 men. Since the war began, how- 

 ever, the demand from Germany has been 

 very great, and has caused unprecedented 

 prices. The increases are as follows : 

 1914, 961,000; 1915, 1,473,000; and 

 1916, 3,210,000. About half the quantity 

 comes from the Skagerack, Cattegat, and 

 the Baltic ; the other half from the North 

 Sea and the inland fjords. In four years 

 the increase in value is 300 per cent, 

 against which the cost of production cannot 

 be much greater than before, for the Danish 

 fishermen use little material beyond their 

 own labour. 



In peace time the plaice is the chief pro- 

 duct; but, stimulated by the big demand 

 ior the haddock from Germany, .the Danes 

 have fished the eastern banks of the North 

 Sea, which are now full of these fish, owing to 

 the four years' absence of British trawlers. 

 In 1915 the value of haddocks landed by 

 the Danes from these waters was under 

 100,000, in 1916 nearly 900,000. The 

 minefields may have driven the Danes 



