234 REPORT OP COMMISSIONER OP ^ISH AND FISHERIES. 



former times held good only in exceptional cases, rather because it had 

 been in force from time immemorial than because of any royal decree. 

 An exception, however, was made with regard to our great periodical 

 herring fisheries, or as the law terms them "the great North Sea herring- 

 fisheries," from which no Swedish citizen could be excluded, on what- 

 ever coast it might be, even on those coasts where, i^rior to 170G, the 

 proprietors had had the exclusive privilege of fishing.^^ By thus dis- 

 tinguishing from a legal point of view the periodical herring-fisheries 

 from the other fisheries, the three hundred year old claim of the crown 

 to the former was formally established. To further the herring-fisheries, 

 the privilege was granted to catch herrings in nets even on those parts 

 of the coast which were held by private owners. From the decrees 

 which were published from time to time (from the year 1748), and from 

 the " Complete Eegulations for the North Sea fisheries," published in 

 1774, it appears that it was the intention of the government that hence- 

 forth the fisheries should no longer be hindered by granting royal priv- 

 ileges or monopolies to individuals, as formerly' had been done several 

 times (for example, in the year 1745.)^^ To preserve order in the ports 

 and at the difierent fishing-stations a new and improved set of "Eegula- 

 tions for ports" was published in 1771, by which a number of special 

 officers were appointed, who were to superintend the fisheries and main- 

 tain order ; thus 1772-1774 a " chief superintendent," 1783-1791 a " super- 

 intendent," which ofltice was to be filled by the chief pilot of each district, 

 and finally, 1791-1S21, a "superintendent of herring-fisheries."^^ 



In accordance with the economical views of those times the govern- 

 ment, esi>ecially during the first half of this fishing-period, endeavored 

 to encourage the fishing- trade by a high i)remium on exported herrings, 

 by which the owners of large establishments were certainly benefited, 

 but which otherwise proved no advantage.^^ Such a rich and natural 

 trade as the Bohusliin herring-fisheries of that period ought certainly to 

 have supported itself without any premiums. If the large sums which 

 now only benefited a few capitalists had been used for maintaining good 

 order and morals in the fishing-stations, the whole fishing-trade and 



3'' In the law of 1652 the expression "tlie great North Sea herrmg-fisheries" is 

 changed to "such salt-water lish as approach the coast in large schools," which change, 

 however, was of no jiractical consequence. Any positive change in the fishery-laws 

 would have to he made in accordance with certain rules laid down in § 87 of the con- 

 stitution of 1809. 



3' As late as 1778 we find in a "report on the herring-fisheries," a suggestion that no 

 new exclusive personal jjrivileges might henceforth he granted, and no old ones re- 

 newed. 



^^ Regarding the Bohusliin fishery-legislation, see SJiiherf/, A., "Omden Svensla Fis- 

 Jcerilagstifining" [On the Swedish fishery-legislation]. Lund, 186G; and the same au- 

 thor's articles in the " Goteborgsposten," 187.5, Nos. 47, 52, 59, 61, 78, and 1877, No. 10-2. 



3^ It is highly characteristic of those times tliat it was a frequent occurrence that 

 those sums of money which had heen appropriated for premiums, to a considerahle 

 extent found their way hack to the authorities who had granted them, in the shape 

 of bribes. 



