HERRING-FISHERIES ON THE COAST OF SWEDEN. 161 



fined in the meshes, it is maintained that the introduction of the pre- 

 scribed size of meshes obliges the fishing-companies on the northern 

 and central coasts to employ more men for each net than is now the case, 

 and thereby diminishes their income, which, in poor or even in tolerably 

 good years, is small enough ; as, e. g., an income of $84 from one net 

 near Stroinstad presupposes that it has caught $336 worth of fish; an 

 equal income from one net near Kalfsund presupposes that it has caught 

 $1,CS0 worth. An increase of the number of men employed on one net 

 from fourteen men (which is considered sufficient near Fjellbacka) to 

 twenty (which is the number required at Kalfsund) of course diminishes 

 the income considerably ; aud with the small-herring nets used in the 

 Siickefjord this is said to be even more noticeable. As on the Fjell- 

 backa coast the nets are seldom taken up on the shore, but in tbe boats, 

 the inconvenience becomes still greater, as there is not room enough for 

 several men to work ; and, furthermore, because the winch cannot be 

 used for hauling in the net unless the boats are very much larger and 

 consequently more expensive. 



2. That the net, weighed down by the herring clinging to the meshes, 

 drags too much along the bottom while it is being hauled on land, and, 

 becoming filled with mud and sea- weeds, is found to be unusually heavy 

 aud difficult to manage. 1 



3. That the herring in the meshes cause the net to sink by their weight, 

 and allow some of the fish to escape. Near Kalfsund, this difficulty is 

 obviated by the great care taken to have enough men employed to man- 

 age the nets. 



4. That it requires much labor to withdraw the herring from the meshes 

 and therefore delays the fisheries to a considerable degree. 



5. That the larger-sized small-herring, which are stronger than the 

 others and first rush to the meshes, by remaining in them, hinder other 

 useless fish from escaping. 



It is also said that the small-herring when plucked from the meshes are 

 of scarcely any value, because they have been in most cases considera- 

 bly damaged. They do not keep fresh so long in this condition, nor do 

 they present so good an appearance. 



It is further maintained that when the meshes are large, any opening 

 occasioned by tearing becomes still larger, and that on^ the whole the 

 strength and durability of any net is considerably increased by having 

 finer meshes. 



It is quite possible that several of these reasons adduced by the fish- 

 ermen for proving the necessity of finer meshes are based on prejudices, 

 and on selfish desires to obtain a larger number of fish ; but, on the other 

 hand, it is also clear that it is very difficult to root out such old aud deep- 

 seated prejudices, and that the only way to do this with any hope of suc- 

 cess would be to prove the superiority of nets with wider meshes by a 

 long series of experiments. The large herring-nets used on the southern 



1 Ekstrom, Practical Essay, p. 101). 

 11 F 



