( 258 ) 



FRANCE. 



(See Plan, p. 140.) 



THE term Maritime Fishery is applied to operations carried on at sea, on the coasts and 

 salt lakes, and also to that of rivers, streams, and canals, up to the limits of the Maritime 

 Inscription. 



This fishery is exempt from dues and rents, but it is from among those engaged in 

 it that the State recruits crews for its men-of-war. The fishermen are in this respect 

 included in the Maritime Inscription after having been engaged afloat at coast-fishing for 

 two years or less. 



In 1881, which is the date of the last statistics compiled by the Department of Marine, 

 80,875 sailors, manning 22,125 ships and smacks, with a tonnage of 149,297 tons, were 

 employed in fishing : besides which, 55,485 riparians (men, women, and children) practised 

 fishing on the banks. 



The figures above quoted comprise not only the fisheries of the French Coast, but also 

 cod-fishing off Newfoundland, Iceland, and the Dogger Bank, as well as herring and mackerel 

 fishing on the coasts of Scotland, England, and Ireland. 



Taken as a whole, the year 1881 was not so productive as the year preceding. In 1880, 

 in fact, the value of the produce captured reached the sum of 86,917,668f. In 1881 only 

 82,670,058f. was valued. 



The diminution, 4,247,610f., may be traced exclusively to the sardine fishery grounds, 

 from which the returns show, as compared with the year )880; a falling off of six million 

 francs. 



The Newfoundland cod-fishery was prosecuted in 1881 by 137 vessels, manned by 5165 

 sailors, who captured 17,683,289 kilogrammes of fish, realising 7,882,255 francs. 



In Iceland the same fishery employed 202 vessels and 3436 men. The take of cod waa 

 9,695,411 kilogrammes, selling for 5,876,607 francs. 



The herring fishery was very successful during the season of 1881, 39,101,845 kilogrammes 

 of this fish, valued at 9,055,352 francs, having been captured on the coasts of Scotland, England, 

 and France. It would have been more prolific still had it not been marred by bad weather, 

 which inflicted losses both of men and effects on several vessels. 



The fisheries for fresh fish, which comprise turbots, brill, soles, plaice, flounders, rays, 

 gurnets, mullets, whiting, congers, salmon, lampreys, sturgeons, etc., were carried on by 72,274 

 sailors, manning 21,786 smacks,* and the take was 49,940,026 kilogrammes of fish, realising 

 32,216,487 francs. 



374,985,770 oysters were dredged during the season 1880-81 (i.e. between 1st September, 

 1880, and 15th June, 1881). These fetched 2,061,753 francs. The total number of oysters 

 disposed of during the same period amounted to 680,372,750, and the money obtained for them 

 to 17,951,114 francs. This total includes those fished from the sea and those gathered from 

 the artificial breeding grounds or " parks." 



The following table shows the number of piscatorial establishments existing on the 31st 

 December, 1880 and 1881 respectively. This table also shows the grauual development of 

 ayster culture, the principal centres of which are found in the 3rd and 4th maritime arrondisse* 

 ments (Departments of Morbihan, Charente Infe'rieure, La Vendee, and the Gironde). 



The Department of Marine endeavours to ameliorate the condition of fishermen. Those 

 among them whose apparatus are lost or spoiled by bad weather receive grants to help them 

 replace their fishing tackle, if they are unable to do so out of their own means. Besides this, 



* In this number are comprised boats engaged In fishing for herrings, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, oysters, 

 mussels, other shell-fish, and prawns, and those employed in special services. These vessels carry on in turn one 

 or other of these different industries. 



