396 DEEP-SEA FISHING. 



"not more than about 1934 vessels and boats can be 

 considered as devoted almost exclusively to fishing, and 

 about 8548 men and boys." It is satisfactory, however, 

 to find that even these small numbers are larger than 

 were recorded in 1872; and although a great decrease 

 is shown in the general return, the diminution has 

 been entirely among that portion of the fishing popu- 

 lation with whom fishing is only an occasional occu- 

 pation. 



The Kinsale mackerel fishery was a successful one, 

 the produce having been 120,000 boxes, exactly double 

 that of 1872, although, in consequence of a dispute 

 between the united body of fishermen and the buyers, all 

 fishing was stopped for eight days during the best part 

 of the season. The herring fishery was not so good as in 

 the previous year ; and no progress appears to have been 

 made in the pilchard fishery. Line-fish are said to have 

 kept at a greater distance than usual from the land, but 

 doubts about the correctness of this are expressed by 

 some of the Coastguard in their divisional reports. 

 Trawlers are gradually increasing. 



