88 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



diameter at the neck, the widest part of the body. From 

 2000 to 3000 fish are sufficient to pay the whole of the 

 expenses of a season. The average yield is for 1000 fish 

 to produce 1 20 barrels of " scabeccio." 



In 1871, 3200 barrels of " scabeccio " were made, and 

 sold at more than 6 IDS. the 100 kilogrammes ; and 

 90,000 kilogrammes of tunny were put up in tin cans, which 

 realized more than ,8 the 100 kilogrammes. Eight thousand 

 barrels of salted fish were sold at about i 4^. per barrel ; 

 and 40,000 kilogrammes of oil (65,460 imperial gallons) 

 produced more than 40 the 1000 kilogrammes. Two 

 thousand "metals" (about 10,250 imperial gallons) of the 

 best olive oil were expended in the preservation of the 

 above quantities of fish. 



Very few of the fish are sent in a fresh state to the 

 Tunis market ; about 50 only are presented by the pro- 

 prietor to the Bey, local and foreign authorities, and other 

 Tunisian officials. The roes, milts, hearts, sounds, and all 

 other coarse parts of the fish are the perquisites of the 

 fishermen, and are preserved and sold on their own account. 

 The roes are chiefly sent to Italy, and are there sold at 

 from 2s. 6d. to 4^. the pair. Upwards of 200 barrels of 

 inferior parts of tunny were salted on account of the men 

 in 1871. 



It appears, moreover, that the demand for preserved 

 tunny is at present limited to the countries bordering on 

 the Mediteranean, and the ten tonnaras in Sicily, one in 

 Calabria, six in Sardinia, and one or two in France, Spain, 

 and other parts of Italy, produce sufficient for actual 

 requirements. In Germany tunny is beginning to be 

 known and called for, but it took six months last year to 

 dispose of 200 tin boxes that were sent to England as 

 a commercial experiment. Nevertheless the best qualities 



