6 THE HERRING FISHERIES. 



Filey, off Flamborough Head, is the next and most 

 important station, and exclusive of Great Yarmouth there 

 are very large captures taken by the fishermen of Lowes- 

 toft, Folkestone, and Hastings, and boats come from the 

 north of Scotland to share in the English fishery, although 

 there is a winter fishery pursued in Scotland besides that 

 of Yarmouth. 



While in this vicinity we may notice the abundance of 

 " whitebait " found during summer in the Thames, Humber, 

 and other brackish waters near the sea coast, and that it 

 really is the young of the herring or herring fry. 



It ought also to be noticed that the smallest herrings are 

 caught off this coast, known as " longshorers," and are 

 really the finest caught on the east coast of England. The 

 takes of herring by the Tyne and North Shields fishing 

 boats for August, 1882, were so large that the "railway 

 company had to put on extra special trains" for their 

 transit to the Metropolis. 



Coming round to the west coast, vid Solway Firth and 

 Ayrshire districts, we enter a " New Year," and they are 

 still fishing for the best herrings that are found on any part 

 of the British coasts. Loch Broom, Loch Horn, Loch Fyne, 

 and many other places, have only to be mentioned, as the 

 celebrated resorts for the best quality of herring. Indeed, 

 during the month of October for last year (1882), extra- 

 ordinary takes of herring, and such as have not been for 

 many years, were found at Astle Bay, near the head of 

 Ardlamont, Rothsay ; from six hundred to seven hundred 

 crans landed, and for the most part sent to England. 



At Girvan, during January and February, the fishery is 

 still pursued, and from many parts of the opposite coast, 

 including Newhaven, fishermen come and share in the 

 closing hauls for the season, and neither for quality or 



