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Part III. — Thirteenth Annual Report 



them deal with those of inland waters. Professor Thoulet, distinguished 

 for his oceauographic researches, has published a paper dealing with the 

 lakes of the Vosges.* 



10. SPAIN. 



The chief available source of information regarding the Spanish sea- 

 fisheries is the official journal, the Revista de Pesca Maritima, which 

 contains many papers and reports dealing with the subject. In Spain, 

 during the last few years considerable attention has been devoted to the 

 development of a cod-fishery in Iceland by Spanish fishermen, inasmuch 

 as, although Spain is the chief country in Europe in which cured cod is 

 used as an article of diet, they have been hitherto almost entirely de- 

 pendent on importations from abroad. It appears that the Icelandic 

 fishery is prosecuted by the fishermen of a considerable number of 

 European States. In 1893 France had 177 vessels of a tonnage of 

 17,137 tons, and manned by 3375 men employed in fishing at Iceland; 

 and the number has been increasing year by year. Most of the French 

 vessels are large, ranging from 100 to 150 tons. The total quantity of 

 fish caught by the French vessels in 1893 has not been given, but in 

 1892 it amounted to 11,493,311 kilogrammes of cod valued at 5,415,918 

 francs. Americans also fish to the north and north-west of the island ; 

 and the Belgian Government, following the example of the Danes, sent a 

 steamer to Iceland last year to make an exploration of the fishing- 

 grounds. 



Trawl-fishing is also a prominent question in Spain, and is dealt with 

 in a number of articles. Lieutenant Vela, the Secretary of the Fishery 

 Commission, while admitting that fishing with the Bou may affect the 

 reproduction of fishes and frighten away certain kinds, states that 

 further information is necessary to decide between the various opinions 

 and interests, and he discusses the effect of the regulations by which 

 Zfozi-fishing was prohibited within three miles from the coast and freely 

 allowed beyond that distance. The results of this regulation may vary 

 much at different parts of the coast, and in most places the zone of free 

 water is practically limited to a narrow strip, because of the deep water 

 which exists off the land in which the trawls cannot be used. It is 

 recommended that the officers trained at the Naples Marine Station 

 should be employed to investigate the conditions around the coast to 

 determine — (1) the zones in which it is possible to fish with the Bou as 

 regards depth and kind of bottom up to twenty miles from the shore, and 

 the position of the various spawning-grounds and nurseries within this 

 zone ; (2) the species principally caught by the Bou and their condition 

 of develo]3ment ; (3) the results produced on the abundance or scarcity 

 of certain species by the uze of the Bou during a given period. It is 

 also recommended that the maritime commandants should be instructed 

 not to allow vessels to go out to fish with the Bou, unless they give 

 guarantees as security, and that they should be compelled to keep a con- 

 spicuous flag flying whenever they are actually fishing. The decree 

 which prohibited i?ow-fishing within three miles was promulgated in 1888, 

 but in October last year (1894) after the above article was printed, 

 another decree was issuod interdicting this method of fishing within six 

 miles of the coast. It is stated that this measure must be regarded as 

 temporary, and that the distance should be dependent on the nature of 

 the coast, and subject to the decision of the various maritime authorities. 



* Contribution a VEtnde des Lacs des Vosges, 



