THE SEA-FISHERIES OF IRELAND 123 



Thus, during the twenty years following the 

 famine, the number of boats and fishermen was 

 diminished by more than one-half. There was no 

 question of a decrease of fish, nor were there any 

 other natural events which could be held account- 

 able. The sole causes of the decline of the 

 fisheries were the impoverishment of the coast 

 population resulting from the effects of the famine, 

 and the loss of a great part of the market for the 

 fish. Then the emigration following the famine 

 contributed further to the depression of the fishing 

 industry. " It might have been anticipated," 

 reported the Commissioners of I866, 1 "that 

 during the famine the fishermen at least would be 

 secure from its ill-effects, and would not only have 

 plenty of food themselves, but would be the means 

 of averting starvation from others. But this was 

 not the case. It was found that the people would 

 not live wholly on fish, nor would they, out of 

 the small means remaining to them, buy fish in 

 preference to meal or potatoes ; the fishermen, 

 therefore, suffered not only from the loss of their 

 own crops of potatoes, but from want of market for 

 their fish. They shared to the full extent in the 

 sufferings of the famine, and as most of them 

 became physically incapable of going to sea, it was 

 frequently found that men were starving when 

 fish were in abundance on the coast. In many 



1 Report of the Royal Commission on the Sea-fisheries of the 

 United Kingdom^ p. 24 (the 8vo edition). 



