APPENDIX J.: BELGIUM — 84 — 



Ostende is by far the most important fishery-harbour of the Belgian coast; it has 

 good accomodation for the repairing of the fishing boats (dry dock etc.), and one of the 

 larger markets for the sale of fresh fish on the continental North Sea coast. The value of 

 the fresh fish sold in Ostende in 1903, amounted to 4,823,050 fr. or about 192,922 f st. 

 Seven eighths of that value was landed by Belgian boats, one eight by foreign (most of 

 them French and English boats). 



Blankenberghe has a harbour also; it has no steamtrawlers and its sailing boats are 

 smaller than those of Ostende. Whereas those from Ostende are called sloops (chaloupes), 

 are furnished with deck all over and measure from 36—41 tons, those from Blankenberghe 

 are called dandy-cutters, old fashioned boats measuring from 11 — 25 tons and half-decked 

 only. The boats of Blankenberghe land their fish to some extent in Ostende, there being 

 a fish market in their own town also. 



La Panne has no harbour; the sloops use the harbours of Ostende or Nieuport, and 

 are obliged when visiting their own village to [land on the sand. The ships from La 

 Panne are small, from 5 — 15 tons only. 



Heyst has no harbour either; in case the fishermen want one they can use that of 

 Blankenberghe, which is very close by. The size of the sloops varies in Heyst between 

 8 and 24 tons. The new sea-port in construction at Zeebrugge includes a good fishery- 

 harbour, which is likely to absorb the whole fishery industry of Heyst and partly that of 

 Blankenberghe. 



Oostduinkerke and Coxyde are very small villages without harbours. Like those from 

 La Panne their fishermen are obliged to use the harbour of Nieuport, when they want 

 shelter. The sloops of these villages are small: from 3—12 tons each. Nieuport has a 

 "port de refuge", but it has no great importance from the fishery point of view. It has 

 only a dozen sloops and these are small ones from 3 to 12 tons. 



(Anvers has once been a very important fishing place, but the long distance from the 

 sea has obliged it to give up all competition with the harbours at the coast. Its last 

 sloop "La Maria" was sold in 1897). 



4. The coastfishery of Belgium is often called shrimpfishery, the shrimp being the 

 most valuable object of the catch ("pêche aux crevettes"). It is practised in the territorial 

 waters and as a rule with small open boats. There is also some handfishing still going 

 on along the strand (kruiwers). The shrimp-fishery takes place nearly along the whole Bel- 

 gian coast and has a rather great importance. Shrimps from Ostende are in great demand 

 at Paris. 



In 1903, Ostende made use of 168 and Blankenberghe of 16 open boats, the main 

 industry of these boats being the shrimp fishing. 



b. Fishes of greatest importance 

 These are the same as for the Dutch fisheries: 

 for the herring fishery: the herring (Clupea harengus) and the sprat {CI. sprattus). 



- hand line fishery: the cod {G.morrhua), the ling {Molva vulgaris), the coal- 



fish {G. virens) and a few other Gadidae. 



- trawlfishcry: the plaice {Pleuronectes platessa), the dab {PI. linianda), the 



sole {Solea v^dgaris), the turbot {Rhotnhns maxitnus), the brill {B. laevis), 

 the halibut {Hippoglossus vulgaris), the cod, the haddock, the ling, the coal- 



