FISHERY HARBOURS. 169 



and gear, and landing their fish. The quays should not be 

 higher than necessary, and they should be in direct communica- 

 tion with the railway system of the country, so as to facilitate, 

 as far as possible, the transit and distribution of fish, its value 

 being in this way much enhanced. 



A common defect in fishery harbours is the want of sufficient 

 berthage and quay room. Boats are usually berthed with their 

 sterns to the quay; each boat therefore occupies a length of 

 quay equal to its beam, plus, say, 2 feet for fenders ; or about 

 22 feet in all. If possible, from 1 J to 2 acres of quay space per 

 100 boats should be allowed for curing, packing, and other 

 purposes; and no quay, where practicable, should be less than 

 40 feet in width. Each acre of water space will accommodate 

 about 40 boats of 50 to 55 feet keel. 



The annual loss sustained by fishing fleets, in consequence 

 of the inadequacy of fishery harbours to meet their wants, is 

 ably pointed out in a prize essay, entitled " Harbour Accommo- 

 dation for Fishing Boats," a copy of which its author, Mr. 

 Archibald Young (Advocate), late inspector of salmon fisheries 

 for Scotland, has kindly sent me, and from which I quote as 

 follows : 



" The crew of a fishing-boat will hang by their nets to the last 

 moment when they know that they are near a harbour to which they 

 can run at any time of the tide. But the case is far otherwise when 

 they know that the neighbouring harbour has a shallow entrance 

 accessible only for an hour or two during each tide. 



" In such cases it is impossible that the fishing can be prosecuted 

 to the best advantage. Mr. Boyd, agent for the trustees of Peter- 

 head harbour, stated, in a paper read before the Herring Fishery 

 Commissioners in 1877, that ' during the last ten days of the herring- 

 fishing season of 1876, the yield of the fishery at Peterhead would 

 have been increased by at least 60,000, if adequate and safe harbour 

 accommodation had been available.' And Captain David Gray, the 

 most experienced and successful of the Peterhead whaling captains, 

 and who is also intimately acquainted with Peterhead harbour and 

 the herring fishery in the vicinity, said that ' in doubtful weather the 

 boats do not go to sea at all. During the present season some of 

 the boats have not been ten times to sea. Last season there was a 

 great body of herrings off the town, which was ascertained from the 

 fact that the few boats that did go to sea had heavy takes, and it 

 was estimated that the fishermen lost herrings worth over 50,000 

 from being unable to go to sea.' He further stated, ' This very 



