THE FISHERIES

THE FISHING INDUSTRY OF DENMARK PROPER

The coast line of Denmark proper is very extensive and the surrounding seas, as well as the fiords, sounds, and belts, all abound in fish. The natural conditions are therefore exceptionally favourable to the development of sea fishing, and the fishing industry is consequently of very old growth in Denmark. It is, however, only during the last 30 or 40 years that this industry, thanks to improved marketing facilities and to the employment of motor boats, has grown from a trade of secondary economic importance into one of the most fertile resources of the country.

All the Danish waters: the fiords, the coastal waters, the Baltic, the Cattegat, the Skagerak, and the eastern part of the North Sea, are comparatively shallow. The bottom, which mostly consists of sand or silt flats, slopes gradually from the shore to a depth of 50 to 80 metres. Greater depths are of rare occurrence and are only found in isolated localities (the Skagerak). The tide is highest on the North Sea coast, but even here it only amounts to from 1 to 1.5 metres. The difference between high and low tide is not very marked in the eastern parts of Denmark and decreases with the distance from the open sea.

As a natural consequence of these conditions the Danish fishing industry has come to take the form of both coast fishing and deep sea fishing, and to be based on the use either of seines and drifting nets or of stationary implements (stake-nets and traps). Coast fishing (mostly for cod, plaice, eels, herrings, and mackerel) is carried on with both stationary implements (traps, stake-nets, etc.), and various kinds of seines, drift nets, and hooks.

Altogether in 1924 about 3,000 small motor boats, about 3,000 sail-boats, and about 7,400 rowing boats, etc., were employed in coast fishing.

Deep sea fishing (for haddock, plaice and cod) is carried on with the Danish seine from larger vessels, almost invariably combined sail-and-motor boats.

Taking each fifth year from 1908 the total yield of the Danish sea fisheries was, in million Kroner:

while the total catch in 1913, 1918, 1923 and 1924 was 61, 65, 68 and 68 million kilogrammes respectively.

The most important fish are plaice, haddock, codfish, eels, herrings, and mackerel. Of the fish caught in the North Sea, plaice, haddock, and big cod form the chief part, while the fisheries of the inner waters principally yield plaice, cod (small and medium-sized), eels, herrings, and mackerel. Compared with the sea fisheries the fresh water fisheries may be left out of consideration as being of slight importance. Small quantities of fresh water fish, chiefly calmon, trout, and pike are however exported.

The following table shows the approximate number of persons engaged in sea fishing:

As permanently engaged are counted persons at least threefifths of whose annual income is derived from personal participation in the fishing trade, while those casually engaged are persons who carry on fishing as a subsidiary source of income. To the above figures must be added a not inconsiderable number

of persons indirectly connected with the fishing trade, such as fish merchants, netmakers, boat-builders, motor manufactu

rers, etc.

The value of the vessels and implements employed in the fishing industry in 1924 was about 28.6 and about 18.4 million kroner respectively.

The extent to which each of the various types of vessel is employed is seen from the following table:

Motor vessels
Sail-boats

Rowing boats

5,000

3,000
7,400

As already mentioned, all the sea-going vessels are combined sail and motor boats up to 55 tons gross. The introduction of this type of vessel constitutes the most important change in the methods employed since the 'nineties. The increasing employment of motor vessels is illustrated by the figures given below: 1900 1910 1920 1924 200 2,000 3,500 4,870 5,000

1895
0

1905

750

1915

Most of the motors are of Danish make. In the vessels of less than 5 tons gross they vary from 2 to 10 h. p., while in the larger vessels they are between 10 and 60 h. p.

The motors are used both for propulsion and for working the winches by which the implements are operated. The engine is generally placed in the stern immediately in front of the helmsman, from which place it is easily worked.

The Danish motors all combine simplicity of construction with great reliability; they are economical and easy to operate and may be worked by the fishermen themselves, no special training being, as a rule, required. Sails are still carried and supply an important part of the propelling power; but the motors are to an increasing degree assuming the character of the principal means of propulsion.

Very few vessels are owned by shipping companies and manned by paid crews. In most cases the fishermen work either independently or in small syndicates, as a rule consisting of from 2 to 5 men, who buy and work their boats and apparatus between them and share the profits.

In order to command a sea-going vessel a fisherman must have passed a comparatively easy examination in navigation. Courses

and examinations are held at schools of fishery and navigation authorized by the Government.

The principal implement used for deep sea fishing is the Danish seine (»Snurrevaad«). This specifically Danish implement is especially adapted to local conditions. It was invented about the middle of the last century and was for many years used in the Limfiord only. It was not until the 'seventies and 'eighties that it was taken up by the Cattegat and North Sea fishermen. It is now of the greatest importance to the Danish fishing industry, and the development of the Esbjerg fishing trade may be ascribed to the adoption of this seine.

During late years the fishermen of other countries, especially the English, Scotch, Germans, and Swedes, have commenced to use the Danish seine, but the special technique of this method of fishing is difficult to acquire, while on the other hand the full benefit of the implement can only be had under conditions similar to those prevailing in Danish waters.

Like some of the other branches of the Danish fishing industry the catching of flatfish especially plaice is based on the sale of the fish while still alive. To this trade the Danish seine is especially adapted. In contradistinction to other implements, like e. g. the otter trawl, the use of which is not allowed in Danish territorial waters, it passes lightly over the sea-bottom in short and comparatively slow hauls; it does not handle the catch roughly, and it does not reduce the viability of the fishes caught. The latter are placed alive in a fish pound built into the boat, and are either landed directly or sold to the vessels of the fish buyers large motor smacks of 20 to 50 tons gross furnished with big fish-pounds in which the fish are taken to one of the large ports, where they are kept alive in big vivaria till they can be sold for domestic consumption or export. During late years the Danish seine has been increasingly used for the catching of fish other than flatfish, more especially haddock and cod.

The greatest quantities of codfish are caught in the Cattegat and the Belts. The catch, which consists of small and mediumsized fish, is mostly sold while still alive, though part of the catch is killed and packed in ice.

The codfish caught in the North Sea are as a rule larger. The catch is gutted and packed in ice, and is mostly exported. Only very small quantities are dried.

Haddock are exclusively caught in the North Sea. The fish is gutted and packed in ice on board the fishing vessels, the greater part of the catch being exported. Much energy is devoted to improving the methods of treatment and to producing an article of the highest quality, an end to which the employment of the Danish seine is especially adapted.

The centre of the herring fisheries is the southern part of the Cattegat, the Belts, and the Sound. The yield is subject to considerable fluctuations and has, during the last few years, been only half of that of earlier periods. The catch is landed fresh and is transported either packed in ice or strewn with salt. Formerly the herrings were largely exported to Central Europe, but the state of the exchanges has during recent years had an unfavourable effect on this trade. Considerable quantities are smoked, especially in the island of Bornholm, from where smoked herrings of exceptionally fine quality are exported. During recent years a canning industry has sprung up, which does not as yet, however, supply more than a small part of the domestic consumption.

The total yield of the Danish fisheries in 1924 was about 69 million kilogrammes, with a value of about 45 million kroner. The quantities of the most important species of fish caught were as follows:

To these must be added the value of 0.5 milion oysters taken from the Limfiord during the year.

The quantitative yield during recent years corresponded approximately to that of the years immediately before the war, being about 50 per cent. higher than the yield during the first years of the present century. The value of the yield has increased from 8 million kroner in 1890-1900 to about 17 or 18 million in 1912 -13, 34 million in 1923, and about 45 million in 1924.

The inner waters of Denmark are well supplied with harbours. On the North Sea coast, on the other hand, there has hitherto been only one port, that of Esbjerg, but new harbours are now