[11} THE BOHUSLAN HERRING FISHERIES. 409 



geueral. The floatiug-uet, moreover, can be used largely oulv at a con 

 siderable distance from the coast, and is thns much dependent on the 

 weather, whde the purse-seine can be used near the coast and under 

 conditions that are more favorable and encouraging. 



Purse-seine fisheries also have the great advantage that they teacli 

 the fishermen to seek the fish and to cross the sea in every direction 

 with swift vessels, a pursuit which is admirably adapted to the charac- 

 ter of our Bohuslan fishermen. 



With regard to any plans for promoting the herring fisheries, it will 

 at once become evident that the principal and foremost means for ob- 

 taiumg good catches will be to further and facilitate in every possible 

 way the sale of herring, for only if a good market and high prices can 

 be obtained for the fish is it possible properly to develop the fisheries 

 As It IS impossible to dispose of, while fresh, the vast quantity of fish 

 caught by our fishermen, the only way to dispose of them advanta- 

 geously IS to prepare the greater portion of them for the market. It will 

 therefore be evident that it would be very imprudent at this juncture for 

 the Government to introduce an apparatus which presupposes a ready 

 market and a high degree of perfection in the manner of curing fish 

 Much might be learned in this respect from Scotland, the very country 

 which some of our theorists imagine that they are imitating. In Scot- 

 land many and strenuous efforts were made and great sums of money 

 were spent in order to establish herring fisheries on the Dutch plan 

 btitall these endeavors proved futile; but since efforts were directed 

 towards finding new markets for the herring, and towards preparing a 

 first-class article, the fishing industries began to develop very rapidly 

 and a new form of herring-fisheries peculiar to Scotland was developed 

 on a truly national basis, and the Scotch herring-fisheries became the 

 first of the world, as far as the total value of the fish is concerned. 



What IS needed, therefore, to promote theBohuslanherring fisheries 

 IS, first of all, to introduce the Scotch method of salting herring and 

 secondly, to adopt the Scotch herring barrel. If this had been done' 

 instead o± having these innovations opposed for such a length of time 

 by Mr. Von Yhlen, the Bohuslan herring industry would even now stand 

 very high. 



