[3] THE LONDON FISHERIES EXHIBITION. 1187 



[1^ inches] wide, are drawn out into a long and narrow shape when the 

 net is in use, so that — especially if some sea-weeds or mud get into the 

 net — they will not let even the smallest fish pass through. Mr. Schrei- 

 ber, of Lowestoft, has atttempted to remedy this by sewing into the 

 meshes of the net a number of large metal rings to form holes, which 

 are constantly open, and through which the young fry may escape. 

 Still better is an invention made by De Caux and Eead, by which 

 the meshes at the back part of the net are made wider, and in addition 

 it is sometimes spread over hoops, so that all the meshes are kept open 

 while the net is in use. Thus, the sand or mud which has entered the 

 net is constantly washed out by the current, a way of escape is opened 

 for the young fry, and the hauling of the net is greatly facilitated. 

 Trawls of this kind are, therefore, urgently recommended, and it should 

 be taken into serious consideration whether the same change could not 

 be made in our ^^Jcurren,-' '■^Jcettil,''^ and '•'■zeeseny 



The seine fisheries. — These are nothing like so extensive in Eng- 

 land as the trawl fisheries, but nevertheless they yield a considerable 

 quantity of fish, especially herring and mackerel. In Scotland there 

 were engaged in these fisheries, in 1880, 70,000 persons and 15,000 boats, 

 and iu 1881 the Scotch herring fisheries alone yielded 200,000 tons, val- 

 ued at 44,000,000 marks [$10,472,000]. The seine fisheries have been 

 considerably improved by the introduction of machine-made cotton nets, 

 which are lighter, cheaper, and more durable than nets made of hemp 

 or flax. A vessel which would formerly take out 950 meters [about 

 1,040 yards] of netting of a depth of 6 or 7 meters now takes 3,300 

 meters [about 3,609 yards] with a depth of 10 meters [about 32A feet], 

 which do not weigh any more than the 950 meters ; and such a vessel 

 has a total net area of 33,000, instead of 6,000 square meters, as formerly. 

 In 1879 Germany imported from Scotland, Norway, and Holland in 

 all 1,274,146 barrels of herring, valued at nearly 32,000,000 marks 

 [•$7,616,000] — herring which were caught in the iN"orth Sea, and which 

 might just as well have been caught by German fishermen. Of the 

 745,000 barrels of herring exported from Scotland in 1881, Germany 

 bought no less than 632,000 barrels. 



Scotch fisheries. — It is true that the conditions are not so favor- 

 able for German high-sea fisheries as they are in Scotland, where, owing 

 to the short distance between the fishing- grounds and the coast, small 

 boats can be used in the fisheries ; but then we are as favorably situa- 

 ted in this respect as the Netherlands, and German fishing- vessels could 

 go to the places where herring are principally caught, just as well as 

 English and Scotch trawlers can fish all the way from Texel to Heligo- 

 land and Harnsreef. 



If the attempts at herring-fisheries, made from Emden again and again 

 for nearly three centuries, have not led to any satisfactory results, in 

 spite of considerable subsidies from the Government, the reason there- 

 for must iprobably be found in the circumstance that these fisheries have 



