BULLETIN OE THE UNITED STATES ElSH COMMISSION. 53 
high rates of the railway companies, and the impossibility of forward- 
ing the fish by all the trains, are the principal causes which annually 
keep down to a low figure the net returns of this fishery. 
Sardine fishery.— Although yielding results greater than those of 
1884, the amount of sardines caught in 1885 was not large. These fish 
for many years have come on the French coast late and at rare inter- 
vals, seeming to stop generally off the coasts of Portugal and Spain, 
where they are caught in great abundance. In 1885, sardines of good 
size appeared on the French coast from the middle of June to that of 
July, when they left, to come on again in small quantities in Septem- 
ber. The fishermen of Douarnenez and Audierne are about the only 
ones who have realized any profits from this fishery, though the scar- 
city of sardines resulted in a rise in price, which has kept up all the 
season. 
Fisheries for fresh fish.— These fisheries (comprising those for turbots, 
dabs, soles, flounders, rays, gurnards, mullets, whiting, salmon, stur- 
geon, tunnies, congers, lampreys, &c.) were satisfactory in the amounts 
taken, but the value of the products suffered a slight depreciation, 
which is due in part to the sale of tunnies, the price of which fell con- 
siderably in consequence of the reappearance of the epidemic of chol- 
era, rendering the disposal of the catch of tunnies somewhat difficult. 
Steam craft always obtained good results, as did also decked vessels of 
sufficient size to leave port at almost any time, while the smaller boats 
remained inactive in harbors during part of the winter. 
Oyster fishery.— During the year 126,579,817 oysters (native and Por- 
tuguese), the yield of the coast and boat fishing, sold for 1,674,826 francs 
[$323,242]. These figures, as compared with those for 1884, show a 
gain of 7,302,022 oysters in number, and a loss of 70,109 francs [$13,530] 
in value. 
During 1885, a total of 597,164,013 oysters, born or raised in parks, 
tanks, ponds, and other oyster-cultural establishments on the coast, 
have been sold for public consumption, bringing 12,744,716 francs 
[$2,459,730] ; while in 1884, 529,768,767 oysters were sold for 13,577,926 
francs [$2,620,540]. This shows that the production was greater in 
1885, but that it was not accompanied by a corresponding increase in 
value. This state of things should be attributed to the excess of the 
Portuguese oysters (Ostrea angulata ), which were sold at 10 francs [$1.93] 
per 1,000, and to the decrease in price of the native oysters {Ostrea edulis), 
which decrease amounted to from 6 to 13 francs a thousand according 
to locality. 
Marine fertilizers, <&c.— The marine plants, commonly called sea- weeds 
or Algce , are put in three classes : 
1. Sea-weed growing near the shore. 
2. Sea* weed cast up on the beach— wrack. 
3. Sea- weed growing in the sea. 
