9 
that the herring was some two or three years in arriving at 
maturity ; but he was prepared to show that the herring, 
from the time it left the parent fish, became a full-sized fish 
in the space of twelve months, thus proving that theoretical 
men knew very little of the subject. When the fish 
matured, it shot its roe in a temperature suitable to the 
good ripening and coming to life in from ten to forty days, 
and if the little insect life escaped its many enemies, in 
seven weeks it became from 2} to 3 inches long; when 
in the months of February and March they had arrived 
at a length of from 6 to 7 inches they were caught 
as spring herrings, and very often for bait. The trawl- 
net fishing was one of the most important industries 
of the British Islands, and upon the table before him 
there were specimens of small soles, haddocks, and 
plaice which had been sent to Billingsgate Market that 
morning. Thirty years ago he worked in a trawler from 
Yarmouth, as a cabin-boy to Mr. Richard Yaxley, when 
but a small number of vessels left that port; but now 
Yarmouth numbered 600 sail of vessels in the trawl fishery, 
and quite that number in the drift-net fisheries, and the 
tonnage of each vessel upon the average is double the 
tonnage that it was in his early days. In those days 
they had only to go to the Knowle, a short distance from 
Yarmouth, say from twenty to thirty miles, to obtain 
the fish, and in one night he had seen captured on 
board the little vessel upon which he was, eight to ten 
double of soles, and a very large number of plaice and 
haddock ; the soles being sold at 7s. to 8s. per double, 
but at the present time they fetched £6 per double. 
Many people wondered why trawl-fish should be so dear, 
but as the Chairman had stated, he thought the great 
increase of population had much to do with it. Referring 
