6. Belgium 



I. Short review of fishing 



a. The principal modes of fishing 



The sea fisheries of Belgium can be divided as follows: 



1. Herringfishery with driftnets, 



2. Codflshery with handlines. 



3. Trawlfishery with sailing boats and steamers, and 



4. Coastfishery (or shrimpfishery). 



1. The herringfishery with driftnets is no doubt a very old Belgian industry. Like 

 their neighbours from the low countries, the Flemish fishermen from Nieuport and other 

 ports visited the coasts of England, Scotland, Denmark and Norway already in the 12"' and 

 IS"" century, there to catch the herring with their driftnets. Flemish herring was renowned 

 in those days; the barrels with the mark of the port of Damme were considered to be 

 the best of all. In Gravelines and Dunkerque (France), in Nieuport, Damme and Osteiide 

 a large part of the population lived on the salting of herrings and even grew rich on it, 

 especially when Edward III, King of England, authorised the Flemish to sell their fish in 

 his kingdom and to export the money they received for it. 



In that time, the herrings often visited the Belgian coast in enormous quantities and 

 when they did not come, the Flemish fishermen, like their colleagues from Zealand, searched 

 them in the whole North Sea, going as far as Norway and even as Iceland, if necessary. 

 The Flemish practised the salting of the herring on board their ships as early as the Dutch. 

 In the 16"" century, Flemish marchands sold for 500,000 guilders herring a year. 



At present, there is only one fishing-harbour in Belgium, from which herring-fishing 

 is still in a somewhat larger style exercised. This must be considered as a coast-fishery 

 and, in the official publication on statistics, is indicated as the "petite pêche du hareng". 

 It is La Panne, a small village, now developing into an important sea resort, which owned 

 2 or 3 cutters (chaloupes) in 1830, 16 in 1872, 24 in 1883, 74 in 1898 and 78 in 1902. 



Literature: 



1. Rapport de la commission charge de faire une enquête sur la situation de la pêche maritime ou 

 Belgique (chambre des représentants). Bruxelles, 1866. 



2. Bulletin mensuel de l'association maritime, industrielle et agricole d'Ostende. Ostende, 1891—1903. 



3. Forêts, chasse et pêche, Exposition internationale Bruxelles-Fervueren , 1897. Catalogue détaillé et 

 illustré. Bruxelles, 1897. (Quatrième partie: Pêche maritime, p. 635—694). 



