152 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



51 TDE: HERRIiVO rii^IICRVCS I¥EAR THE I.Sf.E OF MAN.' 



By CAKL SlilIOKSEN. 



Near tlie Isle of Man, which lies in the Irish Sea, about 30 miles from 

 the coasts of England and Ireland, considerable herring fisheries are 

 carried on in July, August, and September. These fisheries are spe- 

 cially important on account of the quality of the herring which are caught 

 in these waters, and the careful way in which they are cured. "Manx 

 kippers" are, when smoked, an article much sought after in the English 

 fish -markets. 



Herring of the same kind are caught on the coast of Ireland as early 

 as June ; but later in the season they go into the Irish Sea and give 

 rise to enormous fisheries, especially on the west coast of the Isle of 

 Man. As regards quality, these herring exceed every kind of Scandi- 

 navian herring. In proportion to the size of the body, these herring 

 have a small head, and are exceedingly fat and of a delicious flavor. 

 Their length is about 10 or 11 inches. Some of them weigh three quar- 

 ters oj a pound each. 



The town of Peel, on the west coast of the island, may be said to have 

 originated and been built up by the herring fisheries. \Yheu we take 

 into consideration that the population of Peel is only 4,000, of which 

 2,000 serve on the fishing fleet, we see that the fisheries are very im- 

 portant to its population. Peel possesses about 250 large fishing- 

 smacks, with a total value of 2,000,000 crowns [1530,000]. As a gen- 

 eral rule the captain has a share in the vessel, while the crew (usually 

 seven or eight men) receive fixed wages and a certain percentage of the 

 fish cauglit. The other shares are held by the fish-dealers in the Isle 

 of Man or in England, and yield a good dividend. The town has two 

 ship-yards, and two net-factories. The construction of the vessels dif- 

 fers somewhat from that of the Danish, principally by their sharp per- 

 pendicular bows, and by the circumstance that they draw 2 or 3 feet 

 more water than tlie Danish vessels. Besides the fishing fleet belong- 

 ing to Peel, there congregate here daring the season, fishing vessels 

 from Ireland, Scotland, and Cornwall, so that a fleet of more t-han 300 

 vessels is employed in these fisheries. I have several times gone out 

 on one of these vessels, which usually leave the harbor some time in 

 the afternoon and sail in a northwesterly direction to the fishing i)laces. 

 W'hich are about from 7 to 10 miles out at sea; some vessels, howevei 

 go still farther out. The nets are cast immediately after sundown, and 

 in no case sooner. 



The fishermen do not select any special point for casting their ucrs. 



* " Sildifislcet red Oen jMan." From the Danish Fisl-crHideinlc, Copenh.agen, Septem 

 ber 1, 1885. Translated from the Danisli by IIeiimax JACOnsON. " 



