FISHING STATIONS— IRELAND. 347 



employed in fishing, they are engaged in collecting 

 seaweed, and in the transport of goods, turf, manure, 

 and passengers ; so that their crews are not necessarily 

 idle, and in many cases fishing might be carried on by 

 til em more constantly if other occupations were not 

 found more attractive, or considered of greater im- 

 portance. 



The real business of sea-fishing on the Irish coast may 

 therefore be considered as being represented by the 

 number of boats solely or mostly engaged in fishing ; 

 and, according to the Inspectors, these did not, in 1872, 

 exceed 1800 belonging to the three registered classes, 

 and with total crews of 8564 men and boys. 



According to a statement of the number of fishing 

 boats and men in 1846 and subsequent years, given in 

 the Inspectors' Report for 1872, it appears that there has 

 been almost a continuous annual decrease under both 

 heads. It is stated that in 1846 there were 19,883 

 boats of various kinds, and 113,073 fishermen^ and boys, 

 while in 1872 the numbers given are 7914 boats and 

 31,311 men and boys; the boats having therefore been 

 diminished by three-fifths, and the fishermen by nearly 

 three-fourths during the twenty-six years. This decline 

 dates from the commencement of the famine in 1846, 

 and some of the districts appear to have never recovered 

 from its desolating effects. We need hardly say, how- 

 ever, that emigration has carried away many thousands 

 of men who were formerly counted as fishermen, and 

 especially from that portion of the coast population 

 which only fished occasionally; and we may add that 

 the Reports sent in by the Inspecting Commanders of 



' Accordiiii:f to the return furnislied by the Irish Fishery Commissioners in 

 1864 to tlic Pioyal Sea Fisheries Commissioners, the number of fishermen in 

 1846 was 93,073. See Rep. Roy. Sea Fish. Com., \\ 15 (1866). 



