306 SEA FISHERIES 



ment. M. Lumet recognises that the introduction of 

 foreign motors will be " favourable to the interests " of 

 our fishermen ! I ask nothing more. But if that is so, 

 why shut the door upon these motors ? If we lock our 

 door upon the entry of foreign products, will the 

 foreigner open his to our products ? 



V 



Between spirit and petrol the future will decide. I 

 have prolonged this discussion a little in order to show 

 that " mechanical fishery " has not only established itself, 

 but that it presents important problems ; while it has 

 solved other problems which are big with consequence. 



In the first place, a larger amount of fresh fish is 

 thrown on the market. When the fishermen had only 

 their sailing boats to rely upon, it was impossible for 

 them to bring back fresh fish from the North Sea, for 

 example. They were obliged to salt herring on board, 

 in the barrel or in bulk. Now that the steamers put into 

 port weekly (even the Iceland trawlers are rarely absent 

 from Boulogne for a longer period than six weeks) the fish 

 is often landed in the fresh state. Thus at Boulogne the 

 salt fish landed in 1862 was 8,008 tons, as against 15,266 

 in 1906, while the fresh fish landed increased from 4,541 

 tons in 1862 to 45,670 in 1906 ; an increase of 90 per 

 cent, in the first case and 900 per cent, in the second. 



Salt has given place to ice. But the steamers were not 

 the first to employ the new methods. When the little 

 Arcachon trawlers began to work in the Bay of Biscay, 

 one of them would take its turn to leave the fleet every 

 morning, loaded with the catch of the various boats, and 

 to run into port ; in other words, it acted as a " runner." 

 At the same period the sailing vessels, which remained 

 eight or ten days at sea, were using ice. At Lorient the 



