_ 85 — APPENDIX J: BELGIUM 



fish, the whiting {Gadiis merlangus), the red and grey gurnard {Trigla gur- 

 nardvs ^ hirvndo), different rays {Baja), the Skate {Baja hatis) and a few 

 other fishes of less importance, 

 for the shrimpfishery: the shrimp [Crangon vulgaris) 



c. Fishing-grounds at present time 



The steam trawlers visit the grounds along the Dutch coast: Schouwenbank, Texel- 

 grounds, ïerschellingbank; they fish on the Silverpits, the Doggerbank and Fisherbanks, 

 some of them go as far as the Faeroes and Iceland. Some of the steam trawlers, at pre- 

 sent, visit the Bay of Biscay and the coast of Portugal, regularly. 



The greater sloops fish in the southern part of the North Sea: from the North- and 

 Westhinder along the Dutch coast to the east, and the English coast, the Falls, the Cab- 

 bard, Yarmouth, Cromer and Flamborough Head to the west. The smaller sloops and 

 cutters as a rule remain in the neighbourhood of the Belgian coast and do not go farther 

 north than Westkapelle on the Dutch coast. 



The very small cutters and the open boats remain in or near the territorial sea. 



As was told already p. 83, the principal fishing ground for the cod-fishing in spring is 

 always still the Doggerbank — but the number of boats going there on that purpose has 

 greatly diminished. 



The herring fishing of the fishermen of La Panne and Coxyde is a coast fishery. The 

 sloops go out for a single tide as a rule. 



IL Statistics 



a. Period for which they have existed 



As far as could be made out, no statistics on the Belgian sea-fisheries have been 

 published going father back than 1872. 



Through the courtesy of the Minister "de l'Industrie et du Travail" in Bruxelles, the 

 Bureau on its demand received the pages 472—474 of an official publication containing 

 statistical information regarding the seafishery (pêche maritimes) for the period 1872 — 1902. 

 These pages contain two tables (tableaux) on the Belgian fisheries, both for the said period. 

 The first table gives for the three main branches of the fishery: 

 Cod-fishery (pêche de la morue) 

 Coast-herring fishery (petite pêche du hareng) and 

 Fresh-fish fishery (pêche de marée), 

 the number of the boats and the harbours from which they sailed as well as the total 

 catches they made. For the cod-fishery, the catch is given in kg., for the other two 

 fisheries its value is given in francs. 



The second table gives the number of "boats sailing from each harbour, the size 

 (tonnage) of these boats (for each harbour, one figure for all the boats together) and the 

 number of the men engaged in the fishery (also one figure for each harbour). Moreover, 

 the number of the sloops lost at sea during each year is given. 



Since 1882, "l'association commerciale maritime industrielle et agricole de l'arrondisse- 

 ment d'üstende" (Chamber of Commerce) publishes a monthly bulletin, one page of which 

 every month gives a table of the sale of fresh fish sold at the Osteudo market during the 



