OUR SEA FISHERIES. 207 



pleasure. Now, in January 1861, the clause pro- 

 hibiting trawling with small meshed nets was sus- 

 pended, under the pretence of allowing the fishermen 

 to catch sprats or garvies ; and the result was that, 

 on the first morning on which this wholesome re- 

 striction was thus openly removed by the Board, four 

 fishing-boats brought in, and sold as sprats, above 

 400,000 herring-fry. Now, had these fry been per- 

 mitted to live a few months, they would have become 

 herrings, and have been worth (setting the herrings at 

 the rate of two a penny), between 800Z. and 900 as 

 sprats they would not, probably,_fetch as many far- 

 things ; but if this be the destruction of one night, 

 what must be the havoc in a whole season ? Will it 

 not be a marvel of marvels if there be any herrings 

 left in a few years' time ? 



This process it is which has destroyed the herring 

 fisheries, and all the other fisheries upon so many of 

 those magnificent Highland sea lochs, which, answer- 

 ing to the Norwegian fiords, but a few short years 

 since rolled their tides of wealth and abundance to 

 the very feet of the now almost starving Highlanders, 

 who behold the lochs deserted by the herring, which 

 has been driven away and exterminated by unfair 

 fishing ; and not only by the herring, but by all the 

 other fish which formerly attended upon it, and lived 



