205. _The COMMON COD_ (Gadus morhua, Fig. 58) _is distinguished by having
three fins upon its back, a small fleshy beard on the under jaw, the tail
fin nearly even at the extremity, and the first ray of the anal fin
spinous._
_The average weight of these fish is from ten to twenty, or thirty
pounds._
To the inhabitants of many countries, but more especially to those of our
own, the cod fishery is a very essential source of wealth. It affords
occupation to many thousand persons, and employment for several hundred
sail of shipping. The fishery on the great bank near the island of
Newfoundland is by far the most important of any that has hitherto been
discovered in the world, and the resort of fish to this spot is beyond all
imagination numerous. In the year 1791 there were caught more than
750,000,000 pounds weight.
This immense bank is a vast mountain in the sea, more than 400 miles long,
150 miles broad, and, in depth of water, from twenty to sixty fathoms. It
was first discovered in the reign of Henry the Seventh; and in 1548 an act
of parliament was passed, by which all Englishmen were permitted to traffic
and fish on the coasts of Newfoundland and the adjacent banks, without
payment of any duty. In 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert took possession of the
island of Newfoundland in the name of Queen Elizabeth; and the first
English company that associated to settle a colony there was incorporated
by a patent of King James the First, in 1609.
The Newfoundland fishery at present gives freight to about 300 vessels,
from 100 to 200 tons' burden each. These are chiefly fitted out from the
islands of Guernsey and Jersey, from Ireland, and some ports of the English
Channel, as Pool, Dartmouth, &c. When these vessels arrive at the fishery,
a kind of gallery is formed, which reaches from the main-mast to the poop,
and sometimes even from one end of the ship to the other. This is furnished
with tuns stove in at one end, into which the fishermen get, to be
sheltered from the weather, their heads being covered with a kind of roof
fixed to the top of the tun. The mode of fishing is by hook and line only;
and the baits are herrings, a small fish called capelins (209), shell fish,
or pieces of sea fowl. Each man can catch only one fish at a time; yet an
expert fisherman has sometimes been known to take 400 in a day. As soon as
the fish are caught the tongues are cut out, the heads cut off, and the
liver, entrails, and spine, are all taken out. After this they are salted
and piled, for some time, in the holds of the vessels, and then packed in
barrels for sale, under the name of _green_ or _wet cod_. When the fish are
to be dried, they are conveyed in boats to the shore, where they are
headed, cleansed, and salted, upon stages or scaffolds erected for that
purpose. They are subsequently spread on the shore to dry; these are called
_dry cod_, and constitute the principal object of the Newfoundland trade.
The chief markets to which the fish are conveyed are those of Spain,
Portugal, Italy, and the Levant.
The most important fishing banks of Europe are in the neighbourhood of
Iceland, Norway, and the Orkney Islands; and the Dogger-bank, and
Well-bank, betwixt this country and Holland.
As the air-bladders of cod are thick and of a gelatinous nature, the
Icelanders frequently make _isinglass_ of them, similar to that which we
usually import from Russia. By the Newfoundland fishermen the air-bladders
are generally salted and packed in barrels under the name of _sounds_; and
these, when good, are considered a great delicacy for the table. The
_tongues_ are prepared in the same manner and for the same purpose. From
the _livers_, after they have become in a certain degree putrid, a kind of
oil is obtained which is considered superior to whale oil (118), because it
preserves leather longer flexible, and, when clarified, yields less vapour
in burning than that. The _roes_ are collected by the Icelanders, salted,
packed in barrels, and sold to the Dutch, French, and Spaniards, as bait
for anchovies and other fish. Before the commencement of the French
revolution from 20,000 to 30,000 barrels of these roes were annually
exported from Bergen. The inhabitants of some parts of Norway, when forage
is scarce, dry the _heads_ of cod, and, mixing them with some species of
sea-weeds, give them as food to their cattle.
The London markets are abundantly supplied with fresh cod from the fishing
banks adjacent to our own country. These fish are in season from the
beginning of December till about the end of April; and are brought alive to
the Thames in well-boats, the air-bladders being previously perforated with
a pointed instrument, to prevent the fish from rising in the water. Cod
should be chosen for the table of middling size, plump about the shoulder
and near the tail, the hollow behind the head deep, and with a regular
undulated appearance on the sides, as if they were ribbed. The gills should
be very red, the eyes fresh, and the flesh white and firm.
It is generally considered that the shoals of cod confine themselves
between the latitudes 66° and 50° north. Those which are caught to the
north or south of these degrees are both few in quantity and bad in
quality.
206. _The HADDOCK_ (Gadus aglefinus) _is a fish of the cod tribe, which
has three fins tip on its back, a small fleshy beard on the under jaw,
the upper jaw the longer, and the tail somewhat forked. There is a dark
oval spot on each side of the body a little below the gills._
_These fish seldom exceed the weight of seven or eight pounds._
Our markets are principally supplied with haddocks from the coast of
Yorkshire and other eastern parts of England. They are best in season
betwixt the months of July and January, after which they deposit their eggs
or roe, and, for many weeks, are scarcely eatable; but those which have not
begun to breed may be admitted to the table after this period. Their flesh,
which in a degree resembles that of the common cod, is white, firm,
well-tasted, and easy of digestion. Those that are best for the table do
not usually exceed the weight of two or three pounds.
Though haddocks are sometimes caught with nets, they are much more
frequently taken by lines. Each of these has a great number of hooks, and
is placed in the sea at the ebb of the tide, and taken up at the ensuing
tide. The numbers thus caught have, in some instances, been almost beyond
belief. Some idea may however be formed respecting them, when it is stated
that shoals of haddocks have not unfrequently been known to extend four or
five miles in length and nearly a mile in width.
These fish are sometimes salted and packed in barrels like cod. And, if
this be skilfully done, they are excellent eating, and may be kept good for
a great length of time.
207. _The TORSK_ (Gadus callarias, Fig. 59) _is a species of cod which
has three fins upon its back, a small fleshy beard on the under jaw, the
upper jaw longer than the lower, and the tail fin nearly even at the
extremity._
_Its usual weight is from two to seven or eight pounds._
As an article of food the torsk is said to be superior to every fish of its
tribe. It is principally found in the Baltic Sea and the Northern Ocean,
and has not hitherto been known to frequent the English shores. The most
favourable seasons for catching these fish, in Greenland, are the spring
and autumn; and the general mode is by lines made of pieces of whalebone,
or thongs of seal-skin, the hooks being baited with fish.
The Icelanders frequently salt and dry them, as one of their articles of
subsistence for the winter.
208. _The WHITING POUT_ (Gadus barbatus) _is a small fish of the cod
kind, distinguishable by the great depth of its body, which is usually
about one-third of its length; by having three dorsal fins, a small
fleshy beard on the chin, and seven punctures on each side of the lower
jaw._
_Its weight seldom exceeds a pound and half or two pounds._
These delicate fish are found in shoals, near several of the shores of
Europe. They are usually caught about the month of August; and are so
plentiful on some parts of the French coast that fishermen have been known
to take two or three hundred of them at a single haul of their nets.
The French consider them to be dry and insipid eating; but in England they
are often more esteemed than whitings. The inhabitants of Greenland
frequently salt them: they also salt and dry the _roes_; and are
particularly partial to the _livers_, which they dress and serve to table
with crowberries (_Empetrum nigrum_).
209. _The CAPELAN, or POOR_ (Gadus minutus), _is a fish of the cod tribe,
which seldom exceeds the length of six or seven inches, and differs from
all others of the same tribe by being black in the interior of the
abdomen._
_It has three dorsal fins, a small beard on the chin, and nine punctures
on each side of the lower jaw._
In the Newfoundland fishery these fish are of considerable importance, as
supplying bait for the taking of cod. They are also found in considerable
numbers in the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and the North Sea, and wherever
they appear they are a source of great joy to the fishermen, since they are
believed to announce an abundant supply of valuable fish, which pursue and
prey upon them.
It is stated that, in the year 1545, the French coasts in the Mediterranean
were visited, for two months, by such myriads of capelans, that many of the
inhabitants were obliged to collect together and bury those that were
thrown ashore, to prevent any evil consequence that might occur from the
corruption of so great a mass of animal matter. These fish are sometimes
caught on the coast of Cornwall.
They are considered very delicate food; and when salted are peculiarly
excellent. A few barrels of salted capelans are occasionally sent from
Newfoundland, as presents to the friends of the merchants in England, but
the fish are too small to be salted there as an article of profit. They are
caught both with lines and nets.
210. _The WHITING_ (Gadus merlangus) _is distinguished from other fish of
the cod tribe by having three fins on its back, no beard on the chin, its
upper jaw longer than the lower, the tail-fin somewhat hollowed, the back
dusky, and the rest of the body silvery white._
_Its weight seldom exceeds two pounds._
The chief season for whiting is during the first three months of the year,
though they are frequently, brought to market till after Midsummer. They
are sometimes caught with nets, but the hook and line are generally
preferred, on account of the depth of the water at which they are usually
found. The baits are lugworms, and muscles, whelks, or other shell-fish.
The shoals of whiting, which approach within two or three miles of our
shores, are sometimes extremely numerous. The Dutch fishermen use lines,
for catching them, of immense length, and each containing about 250 hooks.
These are laid near the bottom of the water; and when taken up have, in
many instances, a fish at each hook.
It has been remarked that the flesh of the whiting, which is usually
considered very delicate eating, varies much with the season and the kind
of shore where the fish are caught. Those which frequent sandy flats, at a
little distance from the shores, are smaller and much better flavoured than
others that are taken on banks distant from the sea-coasts. They should be
chosen for the table by the redness of their gills, the brightness of the
eyes, and the general firmness of the body and fins.
In the neighbourhood of Bruges and Ostend whitings are frequently salted;
and conveyed for sale into the interior of France and Germany, where, in
general, they are considered preferable to salted cod.
211. _COAL-FISH, or PILTOCKS_ (Gadus carbonarius), _are a kind of cod
with three dorsal fins, no beard on the under jaw; the under jaw longer
than the upper, the side line straight, and the mouth black within._
_They are frequently two or three feet long, and twenty pounds and
upwards in weight._
These fish are indebted, for their name, to the dark colour which their
body generally assumes when they have attained their full growth. To the
inhabitants of the Orkney Islands, and of the extreme northern parts of
Scotland, they afford a most important supply of food, at a season of the
year when the poor are deprived of almost every other means of subsistence.
At the approach of winter, when the seas are stormy, myriads of these fish
run into the bays; and they continue in the immediate neighbourhood of the
same coasts till the months of February and March. They are nearly as
important an object of pursuit on account of their _livers_ as for their
_flesh_. From these is obtained a considerable quantity of oil, which is
used for burning in lamps, and for numerous other purposes. The young
Coal-fish approach the Yorkshire coasts in the months of July and August,
and, when four or five inches in length, they are much esteemed as food;
but the older fish are so coarse and bad, that, where other food is to be
obtained, few people will eat them. By being salted and dried, however,
they are rendered firm and palatable.
Coal-fish are usually caught with lines. The best bait for them is a sprat
or a limpet parboiled. The Shetlanders use the latter; and, seated on the
rocks projecting over the water, or in boats, they are very expert in
catching them. A man, holding a rod in each hand, will frequently draw them
up as fast as he can put down his lines. He keeps a few limpets in his
mouth, and baits his hook at a single motion with one hand, assisted by his
lips, and with the greatest ease and certainty. The fish thus caught are
generally those of the second year's growth, and are not much larger than
herrings.
212. _POLLACK_ (Gadus pollachius) _is a fish belonging to the cod tribe,
with three dorsal fins, no beard to the under jaw, the under jaw longer
than the upper, the tail-fin forked, and the side line much curved._
_The usual weight of the pollack is six or seven pounds, but it sometimes
much exceeds this._
In the Baltic Sea and the Northern Ocean, particularly in those parts where
the bottom is rocky, and the sea much agitated, these fish appear, at
stated seasons, in great shoals, playing about on the surface in all
directions and in the most sportive and agile manner. Near Lubec and
Heligoland they are sometimes caught, in immense numbers, in nets, or with
lines and hooks baited with a feather, a small fish, or a bit of the skin
of an eel. They frequent some of the southern parts of our coasts in the
summer, and the eastern shores of Yorkshire in winter.
As an article of food, pollacks are usually considered inferior to whiting,
but, in some places, they are much esteemed. On the Continent they are
sometimes salted, and eaten during Lent by the inferior classes of people.
213. _LING_ (Gadus molva) _are a species of cod which have two dorsal
fins, a small beard on the under jaw, the under jaw longer than the
upper, and the tail fin rounded._
_They are caught in great numbers in the Northern Ocean, and about the
northern coasts of Great Britain and Ireland; and when full grown are
three or four feet in length._
The importance of these fish in a commercial view, is very great. Their
size, the numbers in which they are caught, the excellence of their flesh
when salted, and the value of the oil that they yield, all contribute to
render them an object of eager pursuit by fishermen in those countries on
the coasts of which they are found. More than 900,000 pounds' weight of
ling are annually exported from the coasts of Norway. In England they are
fished for and cured in the same manner as cod (205): and it is said that
they bear carriage to great distances much better than cod.
Ling are in season from February until about the end of May. Vast numbers
of these fish are salted in the northern parts of England, for exportation
as well as for home consumption. When they are in season the _liver_ is
white, and yields a great quantity of fine and well-flavoured oil. This is
extracted by placing it over a slow fire; but if a sudden heat be applied,
very little oil can be obtained. As soon as the fish are out of season the
liver becomes red, and affords no oil. A kind of isinglass is made from the
_air-bladders_. The _tongues_ are eaten either fresh, dried, or salted.
214. _The BURBOT_ (Gadus lota, Fig. 60) _is a somewhat eel-shaped species
of cod with two dorsal fins, a single fleshy beard on the under jaw, the
jaws nearly equal in length, and the tail rounded._
_This fish is found in some rivers of England, and in rivers and lakes of
the Continent; and when full grown weighs two or three pounds._
Although the burbot is esteemed a very delicate fish for the table, it is
so common in the Oder, and in some other rivers of Germany, that the
fishermen, unable otherwise to dispose of all they catch, not unfrequently
cut the fattest parts of the fish into slips, and, after drying them, burn
them instead of candles. The _livers_ are large and of peculiarly excellent
flavour. It is related of a Countess de Beuchlingen, in Thuringia, that she
was so partial to the livers of burbots as to expend a great portion of her
income in the purchase of them. If suspended in a glass and placed near a
hot stove, or in the heat of the sun, they yield an oil which was formerly
in great repute as an external application for the removal of swellings.
The _air-bladders_, which are so large as often to be nearly one-third of
the whole length of the fish, are employed in some countries for making
isinglass.