FISHING STATIONS— ENGLAND. 245 



ment of deep-sea trawling, and therefore to tlie larfi^e 

 increase there has been in the supply of fish, as the 

 adoption, now almost universal with the trawlers, of 

 the icing system. The bulk of tlie ice used for this 

 purpose is imported from Norway, but a great deal is 

 also procured in this country, Norfolk and Lincolnshire 

 especially furnishing a considerable quantity every 

 winter. An ice-house is now one of the most important 

 requisites at a trawling station. 



Each vessel takes a certain quantity of ice to sea with 

 her, and those which remain out for several weeks 

 fishing with the fleet are further supplied if necessary 

 by the carriers when they go to collect the fish. The 

 system of carrying by special vessels has long been at 

 work in connection with the Thames and Yarmouth 

 smacks, as their fish as a rule comes to the London 

 market. Mr. Hewett had as many as eighteen carriers 

 in almost constant work — smart powerful cutters with 

 plenty of canvas and able to contend with any kind of 

 weather except the trawler's great enemy — a calm. 

 The system is still in force, and the carriers fill up 

 from the vessels in the fleet of trawlers generally 

 working in the same neighbourhood at particular 

 seasons, giving a receipt to each smack for the number 

 of packages she sends. Before the general use of ice 

 everything depended on making a quick passage ; sail 

 was put on to the utmost extent the vessel would bear ; 

 and it used to be said that the lee-rail of a carrier was 

 never to be seen when she was on her way to market. 

 A mainsail rarely lasted more than one season, and the 

 vessels were subject to the various additional expenses 

 of wear and tear incidental to racing. The captain 

 received a percentage on the price obtained for the 

 fish, and as the value depended principally on its quick 



