PROTECTION OF DEEP SEA FISHERIES. 377 



for the retailer. Line fish, such as cod, haddocks, &c., are 

 usually sold by the score, except in cases of odd lots. One 

 great grievance with respect to the sale of fish is, that 

 foreign vessels are able to catch herrings off our coasts, 

 bring them into our harbours and dispose of them without 

 being liable to any duty, whereas an English vessel doing 

 the same in a French port would have to pay about 

 thirteen shillings per barrel duty, or in a German port three 

 shillings. This is obviously unfair, as herrings are not the 

 produce of any particular country but common to all alike. 



Settling up as now practised by the trade is done Settling up. 

 privately, no official notice being taken, as in the case of 

 paying off ships' crews. If the fish have been disposed of 

 at the port where landed, and not sent away for sale 

 inland, the settlement will very probably take place at the 

 salesman's office, or in the case of a large owner at his 

 office, or in the case of a small owner possibly at a public- 

 house. These settlements are in most cases perfectly 

 satisfactory, but out of such a large number disputes are 

 almost sure to occur sometimes. The remedy in this case 

 has always been the county court, which is not very 

 satisfactory, being very slow and tortuous. 



In England there are no means of ascertaining the exact Value of 



fisheries, 

 number of fishing vessels, and men and boys engaged, but 



the following are calculated from the best means at disposal. 

 ENGLAND, WALES, ISLE OF MAN, 1882. Registered 

 and unregistered 1st, 2nd, 3rd class vessels, 15,469, includ- 

 ing gear valued at 4,698,550 ; 65,795 fishermen employed ; 

 value of fish caught, 3,682,287. From this amount all 

 wages, shares and expenses have to be deducted, the balance 

 only being interest on capital. Besides the above labour, 

 there would be specially connected with and dependent 

 on the fisheries about 70,000 more persons, consisting of 



