PROTECTION OF DEEP SEA FISHERIES. 335 



has a pecuniary interest in the vessel or gear. The vessels 

 are cutter and dandy rigged. At these ports the system of 

 apprenticeships and the mortgaging of vessels may be said 

 to commence. 



At the port of Yarmouth the herring fishery has been of Yarmouth, 

 immense importance for many years past. Of late years 

 trawling has made tremendous progress, and may be almost 

 said to vie with the herring fishery for the supremacy. 



This branch of the fisheries is prosecuted the whole 

 year round by fine smacks specially built for trawling. 

 These are largely supplemented every year at the close 

 of the autumn herring voyage by the largest of the 

 drift-boats, which are then fitted out for, and continue 

 trawling till the season for commencing the herring fishery 

 comes round again, which may here be roughly stated 

 to commence in July. The herring boats then leave 

 and go down to the North Sea to meet the shoals of 

 herrings, which appear to travel from north to south and 

 reach the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts late in September, 

 What is known as the home-fishing voyage is then com- 

 menced. The vessels here are principally cutter and 

 dandy rigged, the old lug-rig being now the exception. 

 Apprenticeships are very exceptional at this port, which 

 may be attributed in a great measure to the scarcity of 

 boys, the demand being greater than the supply. In 

 the season of the herring voyage, boys have been known 

 to receive as much as 2$s. per week, which has been paid 

 by owners rather than have their vessels detained. Men, 

 therefore, under these circumstances sometimes ship as 

 boys. The mackerel fishing, which at one time was the 

 principal voyage of the year, is almost entirely abandoned, 

 owing to these fish having apparently deserted the coast. 



Lowestoft is the next port and is of more recent date, Lowestoft. 



