274 WINTER FISHING AT WICK. [CHAP. vi. 



184,023 barrels, and the increase of the whole of Scotland 

 being 172,076 barrels, it would appear that, although there 

 was a decided increase in these districts, the other fishing- 

 places were scarcely up to the mark of the previous year. 

 The fishing at Fraserburgh was remarkable as having yielded 

 the highest average of any ever known in that district, being 

 226J crans per boat. The season of 1862 was also remarkable 

 for the decrease in the shoals of dogfish. This is shown from 

 the entire and perfect condition of the herrings caught. In 

 1861, with a cure of 31,631 barrels at Fraserburgh, the broken 

 fish were more than 4J per cent ; while in 1862, with a cure of 

 77,124 barrels, the broken were only a little over 2 per cent. 



In 1863 there was an increase over 1862 in the districts of 

 Lybster, Orkney, and Shetland, and the Isle of Man ; but at Wick 

 and some of the Moray Firth stations the fishing was almost 

 the same ; while it was greatly less at Eyemouth, Anstruther, 

 Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Banff, Stornoway, and Inverary. 



In 1862, at Wick, a fishing for herring with nets in the 

 winter was tried for the first time, and was so far successful, 

 herrings being caught having milt and roe, with the appear- 

 ance that they might become full fish in three weeks or a 

 month, and averaging 800 to the cran. This result goes far 

 to prove that the herring is a fish of local habits, having no 

 great range of emigration, and that it spawns twice in the 

 course of the year. The winter fishing was repeated and ex- 

 tended in 1863. Trials were made for herring during the 

 winter all along the south shores of the Moray Firth, and 

 along the east coast as far as Montrose ; and in some quarters 

 this fishery was so extensively prosecuted as to lead to the 

 fish being selected and branded for the Continental market. 



The number of vessels fitted out in Scotland and the Isle of 

 Man for the British herring-fishery 1862 was 281, employing 

 1149 men. The quantity of herrings cured in these vessels was 

 59,934 barrels, being an average of 213 barrels each vessel, 



