34 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



The Herring Committee's official attributes were soon 

 further extended. They had been appointed administrators 

 of their own tax in 1575 ; they had judicial functions 

 granted to them two years later. 



By a placard of May 3rd, 1577,* tne States, as in the 

 King's name (who as yet was the legal Sovereign), enacted 

 severe penalties against selling herring or fishf caught 

 by Dutchmen elsewhere than upon Dutch markets, and 

 exchanging them for salt or barrels with foreign fishermen 

 at sea. A resolution of the States of Holland, dated 

 July I2th,j appointed the Fisheries Delegates (" die van de 

 Visscherije") to enforce this statute and proceed against all 

 who should infringe it, the fines pronounced to be for the 

 common fisheries' benefit, as a means of ensuring the 

 Committee's utmost vigilance. 



Legislation on herring fishery had now gradually become 

 rather extensive. But it was disseminated in divers laws and 

 placards, the observance of which must have been fraught 

 with considerable difficulty, as the method of publishing 

 laws was at this period very defective. This circumstance 

 probably led to something like a codification of the fishery 

 statutes, which took place in the year 1582, after the formal 

 defection of the Northern Provinces and their constitution 

 as a free State. This statute, in which all former ones were 

 resumed, may therefore be considered as the first instance 

 of legislation on fishery under the Dutch Republic. 



* Groot Placaetboek, vol. ii. p. 2145. The statute was re-inforced 

 on April 26th, 1578, and registered in the 7th Mem. Boek. B. Ernst, 

 fol. 234, verso. 



t The wordyfo^ is not used in the ancient Dutch fishing vocabulary 

 for herring. " Fish " means other fish, generally cod. 



\ Res. Holland, 1577, p. 415. 



