Controlling Norwegian natural ice imports into the fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer,1870-1910

Abstract

From the 1870s until roughly the outbreak of the First World War, cargoes of Norwegian ice were shipped to numerous French ports. The ice was crucial for the smooth operation of many industries, especially those in the alimentation sector. The Northern French port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, with its thriving fishing industry, became one of the main entry points for imported Norwegian natural ice blocks. This Research Note is based on the holdings of Boulogne Municipal Archives and the Departmental Archives of the Pas de Calais region. It highlights the significant role that Norwegian ice imports could play in a port whose economy was largely based on the fisheries. It further reveals how concerns about the hygienic quality of natural ice dictated a series of regulations aimed at safeguarding public health in nineteenth-century France, and how these measures were introduced and tackled in Boulogne-sur-Mer. With a regulatory framework that strictly controlled inflows of Norwegian ice into French ports, a few Boulonnaise hygiene officials had to step in to protect the interests of the local fishing industry.