FISHING STATIONS— SCOTLAND. 327 



the built can be broiiglit under the herrings, and they 

 are thus raised near the surface, and all means of escape 

 cut off below. This is in accordance with our observa- 

 tion of " trawling " or seaning in Lochfyne and else- 

 where, and we cannot think the disturbance of the fish 

 outside the net can be very great, as we have seen a 

 second successful shot made close to the same spot in 

 Lochfyne immediately after the first one had been 

 completed. On the Cornish coast the same mode of 

 fishing is adopted for catcliing the pilchard, a fish whose 

 habit of swimming in shoals and coming to the surface 

 at certain times closely resembles that of the herring. 

 There, however, sean after sean is shot into the same 

 shoal of fish if it be a large one ; and the particular 

 object of dread to the fishermen used to be the encroach- 

 ment of the drift-nets, now guarded against, however, 

 by special enactment. What would tlie Lochfyne drift 

 fishermen say to being obliged to keep at a certain 

 distance from where sean-trawling was going on ? Yet 

 the sole reason for the similar regulation being enforced 

 in Cornwall is that the seaners may make as large hauls 

 as possible when the fish come within their reach, and 

 so be enabled to increase the supply to the public. 



The following extract from the Report for 1871 by 

 the Commissioners for the Herring Fishery, Scotland, 

 points to the conclusion that the movements of the 

 herrings in Lochfyne are independent of both drift and 

 trawl nets : — 



" In Inverary district the fishing was also unpro- 

 ductive. The fishermen there had anticipated an 

 abundant season, as at the end of June and beginniug 

 of July a fine regular fishing had been got by drift-nets 

 in every part of Lochfyne. About the 17th of June 

 there were 150 boats using (sean) trawl-nets, and only 



