144 FISHERIES OF THE NORTH SEA 



from purchasing fish, whereas the fisher- 

 man, constantly protected by the State, 

 loses his independence and opposes all 

 progressive measures. 



Marseilles for thousands of years has 

 been a centre of fishery on a small scale. 

 Arcachon, on the Bay of Biscay, is chiefly 

 concerned in the sardine fishery, but the 

 constant disputes among employers and 

 employees and the unprogressive spirit 

 of the workers, has allowed much of the 

 sardine tinning industry to pass to the 

 Norwegian firms of Stavanger. Boulogne, 

 Fecamp, and Havre send trawlers of large 

 size, chiefly manned by the Bretons, to the 

 Newfoundland banks. Of late years their 

 ships have had a preliminary fishing at 

 Iceland before crossing the Atlantic ; but 

 the French adopt different methods of 

 working the Iceland grounds, are never in 

 such haste as the British, and consequently 

 do not make such successful voyages. 

 Strange to say, the French participate 

 little in the North Sea white fishing. They 

 work down our East Coast, however, and 

 work with the British boats following the 

 migrating herring, which they salt and 



