10 THE UNAPPRECIATED FISHER FOLK. 
THE SCOTTISH HERRING, FISHERS, THERE 
WORK AND WAGES. 
The capture of the herring, the principal fishing industry of Scotland 
—Money value of the herring—Scotland’s share of the herring wealth 
enormous—Number of persons connected with the herring fishing— 
The curer the chief agent in the organisation of the fishery—Consti- 
tution of the herring fishery of Scotland—The fishing contracts— 
Bargaining—Extent of the netting used in the capture of the 
herring—Work of the fishery described—The gutters—The 
“hired hands”—Incidental phases of the fishing for the herring 
—The sprat fishery. 
THE capture of the herring may be set down as the 
principal fishing industry of Scotland. The herring harvest 
gives employment, at certain seasons, to the whole fishing 
population, and the labour involved in the capture of that 
abounding fish is very much greater than most persons 
would think. Although the herring fishery is carried on 
at some place or another all the year round, we shall not 
visit the varied seats of that particular industry, but confine 
ourselves to one of those great centres which has become a 
rendezvous for the fishing boats of many smaller localities. 
The wealth derived from the herring is enormous, the 
total value of these fish which are captured by boats of 
the United Kingdom has been set down at the handsome 
figure of about three millions sterling. Scotland long ago 
succeeded Holland as the seat of the “great fishery,” and 
it has been calculated that more than 150,000 persons 
derive some portion at least of their means of living 
