94 THE COMMERCIAL SEA FISHES OF 



upwards of 1000 worth of fish in a single season (while 

 but few English boats are upwards of forty tons burden, and 

 ^"250 would probably be a very good return for the best 

 of them). They take fish for salting, and consequently do 

 not require to repair so rapidly to port. The captures are 

 preserved on board and packed in the hold, and when the 

 latter is full they return to France. 



Having described the modes employed for capturing 

 these fish, a few details are desirable to show their value 

 when brought to market. Yarrell furnishes some interest- 

 ing figures respecting what obtained during the first quarter 

 of the present century. In May, 1807, the fi rst Brighton 

 boat-load sold at Billingsgate at forty guineas a hundred, 

 or seven shillings each, computing six score to a hundred : 

 this was the highest price ever reached in that market. The 

 next boat-load produced but thirteen guineas a hundred. 

 In 1808 mackerel became so plentiful in Dover that they 

 were disposed of at sixty for a shilling ; while in June the 

 same year, at Brighton, a net was so completely filled by 

 them, that it was impossible to drag it ashore ; the fish 

 and net in the end sank together. In 1821 the value of 

 the catches of sixteen Lowestoft boats on the 3Oth of June, 

 amounted to 5252. In 1823, 1,420,000 of these fishes 

 were taken at Yarmouth. In 1844, during October, the 

 Mount's Bay fishermen took 1,400,000, which sold for about 

 4000. In May, 1868, 300,000 were netted one morning 

 near the Scilly Isles. June, 1869, 10,000 a fortnight were 

 secured at Weymouth, an event which had not occurred 

 for thirty years. Couch gives the average price of mackerel 

 for seven years as from 6 to 9 per thousand ; and the 

 numbers taken in a boat of rather less than the average 

 size, with drift-nets, from 15,000 to 24,000. But it some- 

 times occurs that more than these may be taken in a single 



