THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 163 



little is known about the former, except that its produce, 

 being herring of a small size and often lean (yele /taring) 

 was never cured, but either sold fresh as "pan-herring? or 

 smoked, the latter being the more habitual method. The 

 only legislative act relative to the Zuider Zee herring fishery 

 is a placard of Holland dated May 3ist, 1752,* by which 

 the Zuider Zee fishermen of the province were enjoined to 

 bring all their herring to market in one of the fortified 

 towns of Holland and West Friesland, and not to sell, or 

 otherwise transfer any herring at sea. The object of this 

 enactment (which appears to have been but a renovation of 

 old laws fallen into disuse) was to uphold the smoking 

 establishments of Holland, and prevent herring caught by 

 inhabitants of that province from being landed in one of the 

 ports of Gelderland and Overyssel. The law was mitigated 

 by another dated May 9th, i/55,t by which it was declared 

 lawful for two or three fishers to sail in company, and have 

 their fish brought ashore by one of them ; and they were 

 moreover during the week preceding Easter dispensed 

 from the prohibition to sell herring at sea. The former 

 clause is indicative of something like " sale-huntingr " on a 



o o 



scale reduced in proportion to the small distances between 

 the ports and the fishing area. Zuider Zee vessels indeed did 

 not lose much time in sailing home to their ports of Edam, 

 Monnickendam, &c. ; but their time was often peculiarly 

 precious, as the Zuider Zee has at all times been subject to 

 fitful invasions by herring shoals so dense as almost to fill 

 up the sea. It is stated that in 1549 herrings were caught 

 off Enkhuizen by simply scooping them out of the water 



Gr. Plb. viii., 1255. 



f Ibidvni., 1259. An interpretation of this Act was issued in 1765* 

 (Gr. PI. B. ix., 1301). 



