276 THE COMMERCIAL SEA FISHES OF 



driving the fish, into the outlets, has ceased to be present, 

 and fishing will have to be carried on out at sea. 



There are, it appears, two chief periods when herrings 

 appear off the east coast of Scotland, while the winter, 

 June, and garvie fisheries are partially or wholly new 

 institutions. Whether they have or have not any bearing 

 upon the cessation of the inshore herring fisheries I have 

 not sufficient evidence to adduce. Still it is by no means 

 impossible that some fishes, especially such as are of 

 gregarious natures, mostly return to the place where they 

 were reared. If, therefore, from any cause the inshore race 

 of herrings were being unduly destroyed, it does not seem 

 an unwarrantable conclusion to draw, that such may have 

 something to do with the deep-sea race being now the 

 most common along the east coast of Scotland. 



Respecting the capture of the herrings off the east coast of 

 Scotland, it is evident that the great bulk of the fishing is 

 carried on much farther out to sea than it was a few years 

 since. Still it does not seem at all proved that the inshore 

 fishing has been neglected, but the probabilities are that 

 the fish are no longer there in sufficient numbers to repay 

 the fisherman's labour. It also seems doubtful whether the 

 boats have really gone out so far as no miles herring 

 fishing, as asserted by some of the local fishermen, for such 

 a distance would necessitate the captures being salted at 

 sea, or conveyed in ice, or by a more rapid mode of transit 

 than simply sailing. 



If we take the average capture of herrings as shown in 

 the Scotch fishery reports* we find them as follows : 



* These returns were from April to April up to 1843 ; those up to 

 1849 include those of the north-east of England ; from 1850 to 1868 

 they include those of the Isle of Man; from 1869 they refer to 

 Scotland only. 



