i6 



THE HERRING FISHERY. 



Its import- 

 ance. 



Fishing at 

 spawning 

 time. 



Herrings do not go in a body after spawning, but scatter, 



keeping near the surface to get food, and if it is mild 



weather they are in good condition by the middle of June. 



Ancient origin The Ballantrae fishing is of long standing some old papers 



ofBallantrae 



fishing. turned up not long ago showing that herrings were fished 



there as far back as the I5th century. But it is only of 

 recent years that it has become of such importance. As 

 many as five hundred boats from different parts are fishing 

 there every season ; the majority are trawling, and the 

 greater part doing well, as the prices are generally good 

 much better than in the summer season. The most of 

 these herrings are sent per rail to England. 



Some think that herrings should not be fished when near 

 spawning, as it will affect our future fishing, and that they 

 are not in a good condition for food. Regarding the last 

 statement I would say that the prices realized for them show 

 that they cannot be in a bad condition, and the idea that 

 man may reduce the quantity of herrings in the sea is simply 

 absurd. As many as 68,608 eggs have been counted in a 

 single female, and if only a tithe of them would come to 

 maturity our waters would get completely filled. 



All sorts or kinds of fish in our waters will eat herrings, 

 and they constitute the chief food of the most of them. It 

 is enormous the amount of herrings destroyed by other fish 

 for food. I saw a fish caught about twenty Ibs. weight, 

 and in its stomach were one hundred small herrings . about 

 two inches in length. Now if a single fish will consume 

 that quantity at one meal what must the total consumption 



Sea-fowl also be ? It is well known that sea-fowl also live almost entirely 



herrings. on herring, so that the herrings fished by man must be only 

 a small fraction compared with what is destroyed otherwise. 



Abundance of I remember seeing in an old Edinburgh publication that on 

 the 2Oth of August, 1796, the herrings were so plentiful 



Herrings the 

 of ot; 



food 

 fish. 



'other 



