52 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
The first vessels for the season from France for the Iceland cod fishery 
left during the latter part of February, but the most of the fleet did not 
leave till the first part of March. The results* of the fishery on the east 
and west coasts of Iceland show a marked difference. 
Vessels on the west coast began operations near Torlak with fair re* 
suits. • In May and June cod of good size were found very abundant at 
Sneefield and Brede Bay. In the following months the fishermen sailed 
back from Patrikfiord to Isafiord, where they still obtained good results. 
Fares of from 55,000 to 60,000 were not uncommon, and some even took 
as many as 65,000 codfish. 
Vessels on the east coast fished to the southeastward, from In golf to 
Walsback, during the first part of the season, with but slight success. 
By the end of May the smallest capture of a vessel on this coast was 
about 9,000, and the largest was about 25,000, which numbers were 
fairly satisfactory for this time in the year. Towards the middle of June 
the vessels were scattered from Ingolf to Langanses, but everywhere 
the fishery yielded slight results, nor did it improve in July. Fishing 
on the east coast, then, where the cod are generally large and of fine 
quality, was not so favorable as usual ; and several vessels, after the 
first part of the season, left for the west coast where they completed 
their fares. 
Of the total product of the cod fisheries in 1885, Newfoundland fur- 
nished 26,871,000 kilograms [59,239,806 pounds], valued at 9,068,903 
francs [$1,750,298], and Iceland furnished 12,913,352 kilograms [28,468,- 
776 pounds], valued at 7,331,910 francs [$1,415,059], both showing a con- 
siderable increase in quantity and value over the product of 1884. 
Two vessels were lost during the fishing season, the Travailleur and 
the Lorraine, both of Dunkirk ; but the crews were saved. 
Herring fishery .— The number of boats fitted out in 1885 for this fish- 
ery was 142, being 10 less than in 1884. About the end of June most 
of the boats from Boulogne left that port for the North Sea; while 
those from St.-Valery-en-Caux and some from Fecamp joined them in 
July. Up to the end of that month they had met few herring, and had 
generally fished for cod; but during the first days of August large 
shoals of herring appeared from 60 to 80 miles off the coast, between 
Peterhead and Aberdeen. In a few tides the vessels made full catches, 
carried them to France, and returned about August 20 off the Scotch 
coasts, where the fishery continued successfully till the last of Septem- 
ber, especially off Montrose and St. Abb’s Head. Off Yarmouth the 
herring were equally abundant, but after October 10 bad weather baffled 
the fleet and drove it back to the French ports in a few days. Soon 
after this the fishery for fresh herring.began, and ended in March, 1886, 
having given good results. 
On the whole, the fish were taken in large enough quantities ; but 
the few markets the fishermen have for disposing of their catch, the 
