Evening star., 1941-09-05
Fishermen Resent
States Interference
Writer Tells How Seuforers
OF MurseiIIes Resist
Wartime Regulations
By Paul GhaH,
Correspondent of The Star and
the Chicago Daily News.

6y FuuL 1ftutt,
Correspondent Of The Star and
the Chicago Daily News.
MARSEILLES. France-In Marseilles,
as in any other seaport town, one ma
turally gravitates toward the port. Per-
haps more so in Marseilles than else
where, for the "vieux port" is the heart
of the city.
Fishermen the world over are sturdy
lot, but the Marseilles fisherman Is in
class apart. Hard-sWearing, tough, and
revolutionary to the core under normal
circumstances, these seadogs are at
present distinctly riled.
Some $50 years ago, Louis XIV's Prime
Minister Colbert granted a charter to
the fishermen of Marseilles. Colbert
gave them the right to market their
catch without municipal control. Con-
Sequently, the fishing community had
a near monopoly of the nearby Mediter-
ranean fish, known to gourmets the
world over in the famous Marseilles
"bouillabaisSe."
Now, the government, in view of the
food situation has decreed that all fish
must be sold on the public market at
fixed prices. Moreover, instead of 100
per cent profit the fishermen now only
get 80 per cent on the first 20 pounds Of
their catch. All fish caught in excess Of
20 pounds must be given up for nothing.
To sweeten the pill, the government
has allowed the fishermen to keep for
themselves and their families pounds
of fish week, but little of this finds its
way to their homes and is sold on the
black market" at fancy prices. Need
less to say, the Marseilles fishermen are
anything but pleased.
The community comprises about 500
members, third of whom are Italians
of the most virulent anti-Fascist creed.
There is an aristocracy too-the deep
sea fiSherS-Who take part in the
"grande peche' This takes place about
100 miles from Marseilles off shore from
port-vendres. The petite peche" is done
either by dragging net along the
bottom of the sea "a practice which is
called in local patois "gangui" and
which is so prejudicial to fish breeding
that until the present crisis it was for
bidden) or by the normal hook and line
method.
Before the war, Marseilles got most of
its fish from the Atlantic via Bordeaux,
as the ocean fish is of much better
quality than the local variety. OF the
20 tons fish consumed daily in Marseilles
only four or five were from the Mediter-
ranean.
This explains why fish is now so
rare in Marseilles, and why the war
and even more the postwar period has
almost killed the world renowned 'bouil-
labaisse"-the succulent fish stew in
which specially selected Mediterranean
rockfishes and Holsters are cunningly
spiced with saffran and garlic.
Before the war, restaurants reputa-
ton in Marseilles depended on the
quality of its "bouillabaiSse, and until
recently restaurant owners have bought
on the BLACK market to keep things
going. Now they have to register with
a government-controlled fish dealer and
are forced to purchase all their fish
from the same shop. Supplies are far
below needs
The price OF "bouillabaisse" has
rocketed while the quality has slumped.
AT 'Bassos," which still has the reputa-
ton of serving the best "bouillabaiSse"
in MarseilleS, it will cost up to Sl50 a
serving as against so cents before the
war. Your true Marseillais will sneer at
Bassos, and indicate a small rather dirty
bistro called "Pere Marius" on the lovely
''vieux port" There the inner harbor is
so closely surrounded by tall old houses
as to give the impression of a dormant
pool. But don't 60 there. The "bouil-
labaisse" is no longer what it was.
The petrol shortage has added to the
fish scarcity in Marseilles. The allow
ance for the whole Marseilles fishing
community of 500 members is less than
5000 gallons month. Up to now petrol
was given on an horsepower basis. The
result was that the more handy little
crafts had lower allowance than the
larger ships Of higher consumption.
Evidently it would have been more
normal to give more petrol to the
smaller craft and use them more than
the bigger ships. The owners of the
small boats were all for it.
Then one fine day, as things do have
a knack of happening in Marseilles,
there was big scandal. 1t was dis
covered that the fishermen simply re-
manned ashore, sold their petrol on the
black market at enormous prices, and
went comfortably off to play the in
evitable "boules' on the big open space
between the vieux port and the
canebiere.
All good things come to an end and
this was stopped. Now each fisherman
has to turn in 20 pounds of fish day
or he gets no petrol
Copyright, 1941, by Chicago Daily News)