DRIFT-NET FISHING. 117 



otherwise be the ease, for the boats from several districts 

 are enabled to unite in working successively on different 

 stations, instead of being confined to their own. This 

 is especially the case with regard to the herring and 

 mackerel fisheries. The old theory of the migration of 

 the lierring from the Arctic Ocean is now out of date ; 

 and such evidence as has been obtained of the habits of 

 this fish leads to the belief that the only definite changes 

 of locality it makes are from deep water more or less 

 distant from the land to shoaler water near the shore, or 

 the reverse. The object of these movements has yet to 

 be explained. Where there is deep water not very 

 far from the land, herrings are likely to be found 

 more or less at all times of the year, as seems to be 

 particularly the case at the Outer Hebrides. There are 

 certain months, however, in which they regularly make 

 their appearance, and are successfully fished for on a 

 great part of the coast of the British Islands. The 

 fishery season, although not at the same period in all 

 parts, is tolerably regular for each district; and this, 

 taken in conjunction with the fact that certain districts 

 are commonly visited by fish having particular characters 

 of size or appearance, sufficient to enable the salesmen or 

 curers to speak with some confidence as to where they 

 were caught, confirms the growing opinion that herrings 

 do not move very far from their native waters. 



Enough is known of their movements to justify the 

 belief in two very distinct arrivals of these fish on 

 many parts of our coast, producing the summer or 

 autumn and the winter fisheries. In some districts the 

 winter herrings are not observed ; in others they are 

 seen but not fished for, as the bad weather at that 

 time often interferes materially with systematic work, 

 or other and perhaps more profitable fisheries may be 



