_ 83 — APPENDIX J: BELGIUM 



In that year, 71 sloops from La Panne and 6 from Coxyde have been engaged in the 

 herring fishing. These boats fish with driftnets, but their fishing is not to be compared 

 with the cured herring industry of the other nations. In 1902, the 71 Belgian boats landed 

 together for a value of 123-975 fr. of herrings: for each boat also about 70 £ of English 

 money. The same sloops fish with trawls in the other months of the year. 



Nearly related to the herring fishery is the sprat fishery, which is also a notable part 

 of the Belgian seafishery. It is exercised chiefly by the small boats of La Panne, but 

 also by the open boats of the whole coast. The sprats are often preserved in oil, like 

 sardines, (Ostende) as they are sent in large quantities to Germany, especially to Kiel. 



2. Cod-fishery with handlines. The cod and haddock fishing with line and hooks 

 has once been an important branch of the Belgian sea-fisheries. It was practised at a 

 greater distance from the coast (Doggerbank) etc., but in winter near the coast as well. 

 The fishermen from Ostende, Anvers, and Nieuport practised the hook-fishery for salted 

 cod in summer, those from Nieuport went to sea also in winter and landed the fish in 

 fresh condition. Whereas, in the neighbouring Holland, the fishermen always used the 

 long line (beug) and the handline (kol) as well, the fishermen from Ostende and other 

 Belgian places fished with handlines only. 



Even in 1872, a number of 162 sloops and cutters went to the North Sea, there to 

 fish with hooks: 9 went from Anvers, 141 from Ostende and 12 from Nieuport. In 1880, 

 these numbers were 7, 120 and 15, in 1890 3 from Anvers and 46 from Ostende, in 

 1900 Ostende sent out 21 sloops still to fish with hooks but in 1902, only 6 of these 

 practised this branch of fisheries. They caught not quite 4000 kg. of fish each, the greatest 

 catch recorded being that for the year 1873, viz. nearly 13,000 kg. per boat on an average. 

 These boats from Ostende go to the Doggerbank, there to fish with lines about the month 

 of May. The fish is landed in salted condition. 



3. Trawlfishery with sailing boats and steamers. This is by far the principal branch 

 of the Belgian fishery-industry. It seems not to be well known, at what time the trawl 

 was first used by the Belgian fishermen. They say it has been of English origin and it 

 was introduced to take the place of the so-called "seine", the net used at the Dutch coast 

 also in former times. 



The Belgian sailing boats (sloops and cutters) use a beam-trawl of about 40 feet beam, 

 the steam -trawlers at present use so-called otter-trawls, the open shrimp-boats use shrimp- 

 trawls with a beam of about 12 feet. The trawling-business is exercised from all fishing- 

 places (towns and villages) of the Belgian coast : Ostende, Nieuport, Oostduinkerke, Coxyde, 

 Blankenberghe, Heyst and La Panne (Adinkerke). At the end of 1903, there were in all 

 433 Belgian boats fishing with this gear (moreover 184 open boats, fishing in coastal 

 water only). These ships were divided over the coast in the following way : 



Ostende 21 steamtrawlers, 127 sloops, 29 small sloops 177 



Blankenberghe " — 50 — " — — .... 50 



La Panne » — 88 



Heyst » — 63 



Oostduinkerke « — 27 



Coxyde « — 16 



Nieuport » — 12 



Together 21 steamtrawlers, 383 sloops, 29 small sloops. 



63 

 27 

 16 

 12 



433 



11* 



