198 SEA FISHERIES 



rendezvous. In a word, there is no maritime oecumene 

 unless there is a prolonged or habitual stay in a geo- 

 graphical framework of coasts and waters." The Breton 

 coast is a perfect type of maritime cecumene. Cut into 

 creeks and bays and estuaries, resting on the continental 

 plateau, rich in edible species, it holds the individual as 

 in a vice, and offers him nothing but fishing, the small 

 coasting trade, or isolation. -.The Baltic is not a similar 

 region ; from one end to the other communication is 

 constant. The North Sea is only a vast prairie where 

 the trawl replaces the plough. A hundred and thirty 

 thousand sailors live there every year, and if we count the 

 men who live by dependent and allied industries (ir) elud- 

 ing shipbuilding, net-making, smoking and salting houses), 

 we reach a total of 400,000. This great population of 

 fishermen transports its daily life, its habits, and its 

 manners to the Dogger and the Fisher Banks. Special 

 boats the " coopers " and " bumboats " go from 

 trawler to trawler, selling drink and tobacco. 



In the North Sea the cecumene of the coast is the con- 

 cern of the fishermen. As for commercial ports, they 

 are concentrated on the west and south coasts of Great 

 Britain Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol, Southampton, 

 London ; or at the mouths of the continental rivers 

 Hamburg, Bremen, Rotterdam, Antwerp. The commer- 

 cial and fishing ports seem to be separately distributed. 

 In Brittany the little fishing ports swarm on the coast, 

 but there is not a single great commercial port. Boulogne 

 is the most important fish-market in France ; otherwise, 

 it is a mere ferry station. Dieppe is not unlike Boulogne. 

 Fecamp equips none but herring boats and cod boats ; 

 Arcachon, trawlers and sardine boats ; La Rochelle, the 

 ancient stronghold and trading port, draws its principal 

 profits from trawling, leaving the ocean-going vessels to 



