34 THE HERRING FISHERIES. 



bind the salvors to deliver "swiped anchors" to the 

 Receiver of Wreck. Now, as very few owners return to 

 look for lost anchors, and the amount given by the Board 

 of Trade for salvage is extremely small, it follows that 

 very few take the trouble to clear the grounds, notwith- 

 standing the general loss continually accruing. 



Again, if statistics are to be taken at all, they should be 

 dealt with generally all round the coast, either in the order 

 of the fisheries themselves, or commencing in the north 

 and ending in the south, or where practicable. Statistics 

 for the east coast of England are always awanting, and 

 when given very unreliable as a total estimate to the 

 growing importance of the English coast fishery. 



The spring herring fishery at Lowestoft is a recent 

 addition to this industry, but usually the largest deliveries 

 of the season are landed at Yarmouth. It is asserted that 

 in 1853 upwards of 10,000 lasts of herrings were cured at 

 Great Yarmouth. And it is within the estimate to allow 

 the yearly average to be 15,000 lasts delivered at Great 

 Yarmouth alone for the past thirty years. One authority 

 assumes the grand total for the past thirteen years to be at 

 least not less than 2,772,000,000 herrings, or 210,000 lasts. 



Before noticing the leading fishery and particular features 

 connected with it, a novel and very pleasant pastime is 

 offered to anglers through the open facilities in catching 

 herrings. A few enterprising individuals have even sup- 

 plied the markets by angling operations over the side of a 

 boat, and others have taken them from the shore itself. 

 The reason why this mode of fishing is not more general 

 than it deserves to be, is the erroneous ideas existing about 

 the fishing apparatus and habits of the herring. Herrings 

 are a surface-swimming fish, and the great point to suc- 

 cessful angling is the smallness and brightness of the hooks 



