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Part III. — Seventh Annual Report 



poisoning at Wilhelmshaven proves. The consulting Committee on 

 Marine Fisheries, considering that mussel parks are commonly placed 

 where the water is constantly renewed, and consequently free from 

 unfavourable conditions that would make them poisonous, that on the 

 other hand the protection of the natural beds assures, to an extent, the 

 reproduction of these mollusca, is prepared to permit the sale at all 

 times, in the markets of the coast, of mussels from the parks, a sale at 

 present prevented during the months of May and June by the applica- 

 tion of article 53 of the decree of 4th July, 1883. 



Injury to Fisheries by Porpoises. — The Prefect of the Var forwarded to 

 the Minister of Marine on 10th December 1888, a resolution of council of 

 the municipality of Saint Nazaire, desiring that competent commissioners be 

 appointed to study the question of porpoises and point out the proper 

 measures to be taken to destroy them or at least drive them from the 

 coast during the fishing season. The efforts made consisted in the offer 

 of premiums for their destruction, ranging from 5 to 15 francs, directions 

 to the fishermen to continue their nets and drag them ashore, and the pay- 

 ment of injuries done to nets by the porpoises. The premiums produced 

 no result ; the porpoises leaped over the nets when they found themselves 

 enclosed, and when a vessel sought to cannonade them off the fishing 

 grounds they drove the fish off likewise, and stopped all fishing for more 

 than a week. 



The conclusions arrived at are : — 1. That the use of artillery against 

 porpoises is without useful effect. 2. That the offering of premiums for 

 the destruction of these animals has always been without result. 3. That 

 it remains only to encourage the fishermen who complain of the abund- 

 ance of porpoises to unite either to join chase to these animals, or to 

 protect themselves by a sort of mutual assurance against their depreda- 

 tions. Meantime the Department of Marine might continue to indemnify, 

 in a certain degree, ^proprietors of nets who may have suffered serious 

 losses. 



Shrimp Fisheries* — M. Giard and M. Roussin have addressed a paper to 

 the Minister of Marine on the employment of certain machines for the 

 capture of shrimps. 



It has been proposed to absolutely prohibit shrimp trawling on the 

 coast of France, and as the machine described is considered far superior, 

 the reporters advise its adoption in certain centres, with a view to its 

 general adoption throughout French waters. 



The Committee who drew up the proposed bye-law had in view to 

 check the diminution of fish, and particularly flat-fish, in the shores where 

 the trawl is in use, ' this destructive machine, gathering at each draw 

 ' considerable quantities of small specimens of those species which, even 

 1 when immediately returned to the sea, do not survive this rough usage, 

 'and are wholly lost.' At Croisie particularly, where decked boats made 

 fifteen years ago very good fishing at some miles from land in less than 

 50 metres depth, fish are no longer found, except at 30 to 40 miles off, 

 about Belle He, in depths of 110 to 130 metres (60 fathoms!). The 

 same is found all around the littoral, especially by the fishermen of Sables 

 d'Olonne and Groix, who are found to trawl in depths of more than 100 

 metres. The shrimp trawl having, by general agreement, been a principal 

 agent in this destruction, it was prohibited and the prohibition enforced 

 energetically. 



The machine that is to take its place in the capture of shrimps is on 

 the principle of a lobster or crab-pot, but barrel shaped, 75 centimetres 



* Journal Officiel, 21st Mai 1889. 



