20 FISHERIES OF THE NORTH SEA 



fish were so great that often the prices 

 obtained barely reached a penny per pound, 

 and yet the fishing was highly remunerative. 

 The port of Grimsby, then recently recon- 

 structed by the opening of the docks, was 

 still more suitable for the London traffic, 

 and, as soon as its unrivalled position 

 was discovered, the trade developed very 

 quickly until the majority of the smacks 

 used this port. At Grimsby they were 

 still nearer to the Dogger Bank, and had 

 the use of the sea water for preserving the 

 cod-fish in floating chests, for line fishing 

 was still to a great extent in vogue, and the 

 smacks brought their catches to -port in 

 welled holds from which the fish were 

 transferred to the floating chests tuntil 

 wanted for market. The trawl net, how- 

 ever, gradually supplanted the use of 

 lines and hooks, for the fishermen were 

 then able to catch the " prime " fish, such 

 as the sole, turbot, and brill, which are 

 found exclusively at the bottom. The 

 method then adopted was to fish in fleets 

 with a " cutter " or fast going smack to 

 take the result of each smack's endeavour, 

 which was transferred at sea, and sail 



