The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-07-11
EUROPE's HERRING FISHERIES.
The Fish Still Abundant, Notwithstand-
Ing Ten Centuries of Slaughter.

The Fish Still Abundant, Notwithstand-
ing Ten Centuries of Slaughter.
No fish plays more important part
In the food supply of Europe and
America than the herring, and it has
been important in Europe for some
thing like one thousand years, and per-
haps for many centuries longer.
French, English, Scotch, Dutch and
Scandinavian fishermen have been pur-
suing the herring for many genera
tions The name of the fish indicates
its gregarious character, for the word
comes from root signifying an army.
The Welsh name for the fish comes
from Welsh root of like meaning
AS single small herring produces ten
thousand eggs and larger one many
more, it is not difficult to understand
why the ocean still swarms with these
fish after centuries of slaughter.
The seagoing fishermen of all lands
are hardy, courageous and interest
ing people, though few of them seem
SO picturesque to English-speaxing
persons as those of the French coast
1t was one of these French fishermen,
the father of twenty-one children,
who was the grandfather of Audubon,
the naturalist. The fshermans one
famous son went forth when a boy of
twelve from his fathers house with a
few sous in his pocket to return an adj
miral of France and rich enough to
make himself master of fneestate near
his early home. This was the father of
our own Audubon, in whom the traits of
the French fishermen were continued.
The fishermen of the French Atlantic
coast are simple men, pious in their
way, and industrious, if not from
choice, then from the necessities of an
ill-paid trade. Whenever the fisher
men enter or leave the little harbor of
Brow they salute the church where
their wives go to mass. and the church
bell answers the salute. The three
French ports of Boulogne, Calais and
Dunkirk send more than seven hun
dred vessels to the herring fisheries or
about ne-tenth of the whole number
of European vessels engaged in the
trade. There are herring to be caught
the year round on some part of the
European coast. though they differ
greatly in size and gu lily. The Var
mouth herring are perhaps best known
in the United States, though small
Scotch herring and kippered herring
from other parts than Yarmouth are
also consumed in this country. Per-
haps the most famous in Europe are
the little Dutch herring, from seven to
seven and one-half inches long, and
the Scotch herring of Starnoway. Her
ring of half the length of the little
Dutch herring are caught on the banks
off Dunkirk.
The law of the fisheries of the North
sea was laid down in the treaty of The
Hague, and the police of that sea are
the navies of the nations along its
borders. There never has been any
serious conflict over the fisheries
though one hundred and fifty thou
sand men and seven thousand boats
take part in the industry. The French
government puts its fisheries under the
charge of the officers in command OF
neighboring naval stations, while a
corps of scientific men under the
bureau de l'agriculture study the hab-
its of food fishes and the methods OF
fishing.
The Boulogne fishing vessels, called
Dundees, came into harbor in good
seasons with six hundred or seven hun,
dred casks of herring in pickle, as the
curing is done on board. So important
was now abandoned method of cur
ing herring that the emperor, Charles
", travelling in Holland, visited the
tomb of the inventor of that method
The herring fishermen of Boulogne
leave home for the opening of their
season about the middle of this month
Booted and oil-skinned, they hoist sal
to the music of their own voices, their
women ashore looking on. A cloud OF
| handkerchiefs bid them farewell
When cables length beyond the har
Dor there is silence on board the heet
and the fishermen turn to face the al
ready embrowned dome of Notre Dame
of Boulogne and to murmur prayer to
the protectress of seamen. saint
Mary, intercede for us poor fishermen.
The women have meanwhile turned to
make their traditional pilgrimage to
the Jesus fiagelle" on the cliff.-N
Y. Sun.