The Grit-advocate., 1900-08-17
HELPS FISH TRADE.
RELIGIOUS FAST DAYS AID
THE INDUSTRY.
Al D
salted Cod Is Extremely Popular
Article OF Food in All Catholic Coun-
tries--Ths Cod Il the Most Important
In Commerce

oI ANc"iounuiduu are TTOteStdulS, IHey
derive the larger part of their living
from the people of Roman Catholic
countries. The fact that in the courae
Of the year there are many fast days
when millions of Roman Catholics tat
little animal food, except fish, has been
godsend to the greatest fishing
countries, which have thus been rro-
vided with certain and regular markets.
for their fish. 1t is well known chat
the Inhabitants Of the temperate zones
are eating less and less salt fish. Pick
led herring, twenty years ago. was
landed to the amount of score. of
thousands Of barrels year at IL few
leading northern ports of America and
Europe. Scarcely barrel Of this COM
modify is now to be seen in these ports
unless landed for trans shipment 10 the
Roman Catholics Of subtropical and
tropical countries. which are buying
more salt fish than ever as they grow
In population. The cod is commercial
ly the most important of fishes. The
only reason that makes il so is because
salted cod is an extremely popular ar
ticle Of food in all Roman Catholic
countries on account of its nutritive
qualities and cheapness Protestant
countries eat comparatively little cod,
and most of that is fresh, instead of
cured. When the fishermen Of ill ma
lions toss their hand lines baited for
od over the side Of their little vessels,
clean and salt the catch as they haul it
overheard, and then. after reaching
port, expose 1t on rude platforms to the
sunshine till 1t is flaky white and
thoroughly dried, II is certain that
they are working for the Roman Cath
ole part of the world. Well cured cod
to be sure, is not to be disdained by
any one; nevertheless by far the larger
part of it is eaten by Catholics. 1t is
the fresh cod of our inland fisheries
that has supplied most of our markets,
while the salted cod of the banks Is
chiefly sold either in Catholic coun-
tries or in lands where that religious
element is large. The well-known
''stockfish' of commerce is the dried
cod Of Norway and Sweden. and it IL
shipped at once for the southern parts
days also buy the Scottish dried cod
Wells filled with salt water in the hold
of English cod vessels keep the fish
alive till it arrives fresh in the mar
kets; for the English eat very few
cured Goldfish. Frances cod catch Is
almost as large as our own. and her
fishermen are sent thousands of miles
to the banks to catch and cure the
great stores of cod which this Catholic
country requires. 1t is not Great
Britain, but rather Italy, Spain, Por-
tugal. and Brazil that are the largest
buyers of the cured fish which is the
greatest resource of Newfoundland
These countries pay cash, too, for they
do not send Newfoundland in commod-
tiles one-tenth OF tine value Of the fish
they buy from her. Canada's exports
to Italy in 1896 were wholly fish: to
Spanish West Indies, ,seven-ninths fish:
to Brazil over five-sixths fish, to Spain.
over one-half fish. There is no coun-
try in the world in which so much
fish is eaten as in European Russia.
and the reason is because the Greek
church has many more fast days. and
observes them more strictly, than the
western Catholics. The use OF meat
is prohibited or greatly restricted on
nearly half the days of the year, and
tie result is to give enormous import
te to the prolific home fisheries in
river, lake and sea, which supply &c.
100000 people with fish food.-Ains-