6 THE HERRING FISHERY.- 



Carries built, sheltered places. Carries were built in some places, that is, 

 a round circle was built with stones to the height of about 

 four feet At high water the tide overflowed the wall by 

 some feet, and the herrings went in and got ebbed. 



At Loch Slaben in September 1867 one hundred crans 

 were taken in one of these old carries that had been kept 

 in repair. 



The beginning About the beginning of this century there were large 



of this century. 



fleets of vessels, of from 30 to 150 tons burden, fitted out 



from our ports on the Clyde bound for the lochs in the 

 west and north highlands to buy and cure. Others of 

 them fished their cargoes. The herrings were all sold by 

 the cran a cran holding forty-five gallons. 

 Price and The average prices at the fishing stations were from los. 



profits. 



to 15.?. per cran. 



Great profits were realized, as they were seldom sold in 

 the market at less than 2 per barrel, and sometimes at a 

 much higher figure. It was one of the staple trades of 



A town built Greenock, and Rothsay is said to have been built on 

 on herring- 

 bones, herring-bones. Ayr and other places contributed their 



Saltcoats. fl eets Saltcoats, a small sea-port, sent out twelve to 

 twenty vessels every season. 



The varying The vessels that bought generally made a good many 



trade? 65 & runs m the season, if the fishing was good. Sometimes it 

 proved a complete failure, and it was not an uncommon 

 thing for a vessel to come home clean. I remember 

 hearing of a vessel and her two fishing boats being away 



Government four months, and all for one barrel of herrings. Seasons 



encourage- 



ment. so poor caused heavy loss to all concerned, and the 



Government saw that a branch of our industries was not 



Board of improving. So they established a Board of Fishery, with 

 powers to 'give grants to fishermen and to maintain law 

 and order among them. One of the grants allowed was for 



