THE FRENCH SARDINE INDUSTRY. 
By HUGH M. SMITH. 
GENERAL IMPORTANCE OF THE INDUSTRY. 
Few if any foreign fishery industries are of greater interest or importance to 
Americans than the sardine industry of France. The wholesome, palatable, and 
convenient canned sardine is consumed in nearly every community, and the annual 
importations of French sardines into the United States are worth about $1,000,000, 
a sum exceeded by the value of but few imported fishery food products. This is 
perhaps sufficient reason for the presentation of this report; but another consideration 
is the advantages that may accrue to the fishermen and fish-canuers in the United 
States from a knowledg-e of the methods pursued in the sardine fishery ancl canning 
industry of France. 
The sardine is the leading fishery product taken in the waters of France, From 
official statistics 1 it appears that in 1898 the sardine fishery gave employment to 
31,871 fishermen; the number of boats used was 8,164, with a tonnage of 32 863 
and valued at 5,934,633 francs; the apparatus employed was worth 7,030,945 francs; 
the quantity of sardines taken was 53,924,275 kilograms (or 118,633,400 pounds;, and 
the selling price of the fish was 9,204,988 francs (or about $1,840,997). 
The information on which this paper is based was obtained by the writer during 
a visit to Brittany in September and October, 1900, and represents the conditions 
especially prevailing at and in the vicinity of Concarneau, where most of the time was 
spent. The fishing and canning methods of the various centers are so much alike 
in all essential respects that the descriptions here given are applicable in a general 
way to the entire coast. 
THE SARDINE. 
There has been and still is considerable uncertainty among the fishing interests 
in America and Europe regarding the specific relations of the sardine of the Bay of 
Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea. Some persons have believed that the sardine 
canned in France is a distinct species, while others have held that the French sardine, 
like the sardine of New England, is simply the young- of some herring-like fish. The 
term sardine is a general one, applied to various clupeoid fishes, mostly of small size, 
in different parts of the world, and can not be restricted to any particular fish. Thus, 
there are the Spanish sardine of the West Indies and Florida; the California sardine, 
found along the entire west coast of the United States; the Chile sardine; the oil 
sardine of India; and the sardines of Japan and New Zealand. But the sardine par 
excellence is the French sardine, called also celeren, celan, yoyan, galice, and cradeau 
1 Statistiques des Pecbes Mari times, Annee 1898. Paris. Impriroerie Nationale, 1900. 
F. C. B. 1901—1 
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