FISH -EATING MANKIND 273 



producers could be brought together the price 

 would naturally come down. But how can this 

 be effected ? 



The toiling fisherman has to sell his catch at 

 once, getting, say, for a turbot of ten pounds 

 weight about one-and-sixpence, which fish is re- 

 tailed for from ten-and-sixpence to fifteen shillings. 

 It is the middleman, or dealer on the spot, who 

 buys this catch from the fisherman for cask, the 

 fishmonger declaring Ae makes hardly any profit 

 out of his sales ! 



Oysters — once so cheap that lovers of them 

 consumed only " natives," plus brown bread and 

 butter and stout — are now doled out as luxuries. 

 Soles, formerly indulged in by people of very 

 moderate means to eke out a cold dinner, and 

 costing only about a shilling a pair, are now 

 worth their weight in silver ; while the price of 

 salmon, except for a few weeks in the summer, 

 is prohibitive. 



When an exceptional catch of herrings or 

 mackerel is made, Londoners reap little benefit 

 thereby, the price in the West End remaining the 

 same. 



At Ravenna, in some parts of Holland, and at 

 Port Logan, Wigtonshire, there are large salt-water 

 " stews," where fish are fed regularly and looked 



