CHAPTER X. 



FISHERY HARBOURS, 



Difficulty of designing small harbours Injury inflicted upon boats by " range "- 

 Inner basins and spending beaches " Booms " Entrances Risks incurred in 

 entering tidal or barred harbours Fish deteriorate by delayed delivery 

 Berthage Quay space Water area Loss incurred for want of proper harbour 

 accommodation Dimensions and equipment of herring fishing-boats. 



TH E importance of the fishing industry is such that I think it 

 well to devote a short chapter to what may be termed " fishery 

 harbours." 



The amount of money available for constructing harbours 

 of this class is often very small, and the limited area which it is 

 thus possible to shelter constitutes one of the greatest difficulties 

 in designing them. 



It is frequently not possible to arrange their entrances in 

 such a manner as to shut out heavy waves, and at the same time 

 admit of boats entering with safety ; hence, for want of sufficient 

 area over which the undulations may expend themselves, the 

 range within these small harbours, during rough weather, is 

 often excessive, and much injury is at times inflicted upon the 

 fishing-boats which frequent them. 



I have before me now the report of a meeting which was 

 held not very long ago, respecting one of the northern Scottish 

 fishery harbours of no small importance. It states 



" From Saturday night to Monday morning the fishermen were 

 in continual watch npon their boats, which were cooped up in the 

 inner basin, and were dashed against each other by a heavy swell 

 and current caused by a strong westerly gale. 



" The recent experience has been a terrible one, and if the damage 

 done to the hundred boats were reckoned at the modest sum of 10 

 each, the worth of property lost to the fishermen in that short time 

 would be 1000." 



