FISHING STATIONS— SCOTLAND. 297 



such fish as they send abroad, and the hraiiding' fees 

 for 1872 amounted to 7045/., the largest sum ever 

 received in one year on that account. The total 

 number of barrels of wliite herrings cured in Scotland 

 in 1872 was 773,859, of which as many as 523,540 

 were exported to the Continent, — Russia, Germany, 

 Holl'and, and Belgium being the countries to which 

 they were princij)ally sent ; and of this large number 

 exported, 422,731 barrels received the Government 

 brand, and paid the fee of fourpence j^er barrel. 



It is difficult by merely looking at figures to fully 

 realize the enormous number of herrings taken every 

 year on the coast of Scotland alone; but if the low 

 average of 750 fish be allowed for each barrel, we find 

 that no less than 580 millions of herrings were cured in 

 1872, besides an unknown but undoubtedly very large 

 number disposed of fresh. And when it is remembered 

 that there is no good reason for believing that man 

 takes more than a very small percentage of the herrings 

 around our coasts, any attempt to estimate the number 

 and extent of the shoals only leads one into a state 

 of hopeless bew^ilderment. 



The winter fishery for herrings by the Wick boats 

 was first tried in 1862, and then chiefly for the purpose 

 of obtaining the fish for bait; but the attempt was so 

 successful that the fishery has since been regularly 

 prosecuted, so far as the weather has permitted it. The 

 whole north-east coast of Scotland, however, is very 

 much exposed ; and even during the time when the 

 summer fishery is carried on, we hear of serious losses 

 of both life and property by the heavy gales which 

 sometimes spring up with but very little warning. It 

 is painful to think, too, that a good deal of the loss of 

 life has been caused by the absence of easily accessible 



