428 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [14] 



sewer-pipe. These boxes are taken iu tow by lumber ships sailing to 

 the capital. The price obtained was generally $2.68 per 18 pounds. 

 At Landsort about one-third of the catch is consumed at home, and two- 

 thirds sent to Sodertelje or Stockholm. On the coast of Ostergotland 

 and North Kalmar the eels are generally bought by fish-dealers from 

 Korrkopiug or Stockholm, who visit the principal fishing stations, such 

 as Harstena, and gather the fish in their sailing vessels. In Blekinge 

 and Eastern Scania the greater portion of the eels has, for some years, 

 been sold to German fish-dealers, who keep fishing-smacks on this coast 

 during the entire period of the eel-fisheries. From time to time steam- 

 ers come from Germany, gather the eels from the fishing-smacks, and 

 take them to Stettin, whence they are sent to Berlin. According to a 

 contract with the Horvik fishermen, which I had the opportunity to see, 

 the German dealers last year agreed to pay per 19^ pounds [21 Swedish 

 "skaipund"] 8 crowns [$2.14] iu September and October, and 7^ crowns 

 [$2.01 j in August. At B^§i the eels vary in price according to their size. 

 Of good eels 20 or 21 should generally goto 1 "lispund" [18.6 pounds], and 

 are sold for 8 crowns [$2.14], whilst smaller eels are sold for 5 crowns [$1.34] 

 per " lispund" [18.6 pounds]. Here, as iu general along the entire south 

 coast of Scania, the eels are sold in the country to farmers and dealers. 

 It is only since last year that German dealers have visited the Kalmar 

 district, where they had one fishing-smack. There is, therefore, no lack 

 of remunerative and convenient markets, at least as far as the great 

 eel-fisheries are concerned. The great portion of the eels caught on the 

 coasts of Blekinge and Scania are, at the present time, sold fresh, and 

 only small quantities are salted, either for domestic consumption or bj 

 salters. On the Kalmar coast a considerable number of eels are salted| 

 and principally sold at the ]S"orrkoping autumn tair. The eels are laic 

 in salt briue alive, are then put in kegs and salted once for all (that is, are 

 not taken out again). Near Oro, on the coast of Misterhult, the price 

 of salt eel was about 9 crowns [$2.41] per "lispund" [18.6 pouuds]. 

 Twenty -two " skaipund" of fresh eels are generally calculated to make 

 15 "skaipund" of salt eel. [The skalpuud = ^i of a pound. This 

 shrinkage is about one-third.] 



OWNERSHIP OF THE EEL-FISHERIES ; THE EEL-FISHERIES IN OLDEN 



TIMES. 



The eel -fisheries with " hommor" are, as appears from the above, ex- 

 clusively coast fisheries, which in most places are carried on within 

 certain well-defined limits, called in Swedish eel "<Zm*ter" or ^^sdtter^' 

 (corresponding to the Danish ^'-aalestader^^ or ^^ aalegaarder^^ (eel towns 

 or eel farms). They are frequently known by special names, "%- 

 ledrdtten,''^ " Mingsoren,^^ &c., and their boundaries are w^ell defined till 

 withiu a few yards from the shore. These eel-fishing places are in 

 Scania and Blekinge considered taxable property. A great portion of 

 the eel-fisheries on the east coast of Scania seem originally' to have 



