SCOTLAND, 



iiml niAtiu- 



<> their business throughout the year. The rich they 

 catch are daily sold to the inhabitants of the town* and 

 of the country, either as caught or cured. Tin-re are 

 various methods of curing them, (particularly the had- 

 <!( ki,) peculiar to almost every district; and of late 

 years, great quantities of cod have been salted for the 

 London markrt. 



3. Herring Fishery. The eastern and western coasts 

 nf Scotland are frequented periodically by prodigious 

 shoals of herrings, which penetrnte into th bays, lochs, 

 and arms of the sea. They are taken by nets, salted, 

 and packed in barrels. When prepared in this man- 

 t .ner, they are termed white herrings ; but when smouk- 

 ed ami cured by a particular process, they are distin- 

 guished by the name of red herrings. 



To promote this important branch of industry, espe- 

 cialiy in the deep sea, a Board of Commissioners was 

 established by act 48 Geo. III. to superintend and en- 

 courage the fishery. A tonnage bounty of 3 per ton 

 is allowed to all vessels of sixty tons nnd upwards, fit- 

 ted out for the deep-sea fishery, besides 2s. on every 

 barrel of herrings properly cured and repacked ; and 

 Tjy the act 52d Geo. III. c. 153, the bounty of 3 per 

 ton is extended to vessels of 45 tons burden. 



Notwithstanding the encouragement thus afforded 

 to the deep-sea fishery, it is not likely to succeed on the 

 system adopted. In 1809 only three vessels were fit- 

 ted out; in 1810 and 1811 seven vessels ; and in 1812 

 ten ; which caught in these several years 700^, 979j 

 1588, and 2839^ barrels of herrings. The bounties 

 paid amounted to 5866 for tonnage, which is J9s. 4d. 

 per barrel. 



The coat fishery, however, pmnt different re.ult*. 

 In tlii* above lour year* 505, 533, 59*, nd fJtS vemto 

 were fitted out, which caught and cured 89,*76, 90,849, Ctnmum 

 )09,9Sl4, and 140,6464 barred ; of which the bounty * 

 of 2*. was paid on * 1 8,82 1 barrel* of herring*. |t '* 

 must be observed, that the returns nude m the Board 

 do not include the whole quantity of herring* caught 

 and cured. It comprehend* only the proceed* of thoar 

 fisheries, which have complied with the regulation* of 

 the statute, and are under the cognizance of the officer* 

 of the Board. The account received from the excise, 

 of the quantity of herrings caught and cured for the 

 year ending in May 1812, amounted to 190,006 bar- 

 rels, for which salt, duty free, wa* u*ed. From various 

 local and other circumstances, it often happens that 

 duty-free salt cannot always be obtained ; and it i*not 

 i-timating the quantity too high, to calculate 10,000 

 barrels annually caught, and not returned to the offi- 

 cers of excise. The total quantity of herring* taken 

 and cured for tiie year 1812, may be reckoned at not 

 less than 200,000 barrels, beside* 5O,OOO barrel* con* 

 Mimed in a fresh state ; which being in all 250 000 

 barrels, present* a flattering view of the value of the 

 herring fishery. 



It was formerly imagined, that the only herring fish- 

 ery on the coast of Scotland worthy of attention wa* 

 in the western lochs ; but on the eastern coast of Caith- 

 ness the herring fishery has proved highly successful ; 

 above 1 20,OOO barrels have been caught in one year, 

 (:ni. 1813,) and since that time it ha* undergone a pro* 

 gressive increase, as will appear by the following ab- 

 stract : 



Along the eastern coast alone the shore herring 

 fishery produces about 300,000 barrels of salted her- 

 ring annually, besides those used when fresh. The 

 following was the state of it in 1823. 



i No. of boats employed . . . 2,272 



Fishermen . . . 10,435 



Coopers ..... 1,.5S."> 



Packers and labourers . . . 1 0,041 



Seamen in coasting and export ships estimated at 13,500 



Total persons employed in 1883 >61 



The value of the herring fishery of Scotland may 

 amount to half a miDion annually ; but when we con- 

 sider that it may be carried to an extent almost un- 

 bounded, and that it is the best nursery for hardy sea- 

 men, the fishery may be deemed a source oi' national 



wealth, of the highest importance to this maritime and 

 commercial country. 



A full account of the history of the herring fishery 

 will be found under our article FISHKRIKS, Vol. IX. 

 p. 35836:2. 



4. fl'hale Fishery. This branch of industry is car- Whale 

 ried on in the seas of Greenland and Davis' Straits, -fi6ry. 

 From the state of Europe, it has lately been confined 

 almost exclusively to the British islands ; and Scotland 

 enjoys a considerable share. The produce of this fish- 

 ery is, 1st, Oil, which is of infinite importance, whe- 

 ther for the purpose of affording light, or being used 

 as an. ingredient in the manufacture of soap; and 2dy 

 Whalebone, which is manufactured into various useful 

 articles. As the ships employed in this fishery are 

 large, and their equipment expensive, it can only be 



