FISH, THE PEOPLE OF THE SEA 



The Fish Market, however, will not be found 

 very attractive, owing to the way the fishermen 

 skin, mangle and prepare for cooking the prod- 

 uce of their nets. What might be one of the 

 wonderful sights of the world, far eclipsing the 

 celebrated fish markets in the Channel Islands, 

 in the south of France and in Italy, besides being 

 a lucrative attraction for the colony, is little better 



than a shambles so far as its looks go. The fish 

 are kept alive in the fishing boats until ready 

 for market ; one by one they are stunned with a 

 club and sometimes beaten into an unrecognisable 

 heap if overrefractory. Turbot are always 

 skinned, large parrot fish and grouper are both 

 skinned and split, while very many fish that are 

 a little harder to catch practically never come into 

 the market at all, and their beauties are reserved 

 in consequence for the man who takes the trouble 

 to go after them. 



Those who are accustomed to northern waters 

 37 



