42 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



James Caird, Thomas Henry Huxley, and George Shaw Lefevre. as able and compe- 

 tent men as could be found in any country, gave three years to this subject, asked 

 and received answers to 61,831 questions, and visited all the important fishing ports. 

 From their report in 18GG we fiud the following: 



Report of fish that toere forwarded over four British roads. 



Tons. 



1856 11,714 



1857 15,156 



1858 -. 21,615 



1859 27,660 



1860 27,668 



1861 33,337 



1862 36, 869 



1863 37,833 



1864 40,337 



Returns of twelve roads for three year*. 



1862 99, 724 



1863 108, 721 



1864 122,381 



The figures clearly show an increase continued for these years named, without a 

 break, every succeeding year showing an increase over the preceding one. Of the 

 Scottish herring we have as follows : 



Barrels . 



For 5 years ending 1844 3,039,000 



1849 3, 110, 000 



1854 2, 983, 000 



1859 3, 026, 000 



1864 3, 372, 000 



On the eastern coast of Scotland and England herring just ready to spawn have been captured in 

 great and steadily increasing quantities every year for centuries, and yet the number of herrings is as 

 great if not greater than ever. 



The supply of any kind of lish should be permanently diminished by this great and constant 

 destruction of the breeding iish or the young fry; and yet nothing is more certain than that in many 

 cases this apparent necessity does not exist. In fact, the argument to which we refer owes its 

 apparent force to the fact that it overlooks one of the most important conditions of the question. It 

 is assumed that any destruction of fry effected by man bears a large ratio to the destruction resulting 

 from other causes, an assumption which in several cases is certainly and is most probably altogether 

 erroneous. 



We agree with the Royal Commissioners of 1862 in regarding the act enforcing close time on the 

 west coast of Scotland as incapable of any justification, and as having been cruelly injurious to the 

 interest of a large number of fishermen (lxxx). 



Up to 1857 the Dutch fisheries were burdened with many restrictions intended for their protec- 

 tion and encouragement. The period within which herring could be Hshed was limited. The places 

 of tishing, the times, the nets, and the tackle were all under regulations. But the fishery languished 

 and declined, and it was determined by the legislature to try the effect of another system. A law- 

 was passed in l.s.'iT abolishing all restrictions, regulations, and enactments as to close time, trawls, 

 mts, and lines; every one was left free to fish the sea in any mode and at any time he deemed most 

 advantageous, while a fishery commission was established to collect the statistics of the various fish- 

 eries and report annually. The result has been a steady and continuous improvement. The last 

 report of the commission shows greater anxiety to find new markets in foreign countries for the fish 

 than about the prospects of an abundant catch. A return is given of the number of vessels employed 

 in the herring fishery at Scheveningen and their annual catch which rises from 21, !»(>!», 000 in 1858 to 

 33,535,000 in 1864. The export of cured herring from all parts of the country had risen from 30,919,271 

 etuks in 1858 to 42,698,000 in 1864. 



