IMPROVED 



FISHERY HARBOUR ACCOMMODATION 



FOR 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



THE natural harbours of Great Britain and Ireland being 

 so very unequally distributed along the coast-line, art has 

 stepped in here and there in some instances to supply that 

 which nature has denied, and considerable benefits have 

 thereby accrued to the fisheries ; but a great deal yet remains 

 to be done, as, for want of adequate provision for the shelter 

 of fishing boats, very many lives are lost, and thousands of 

 pounds remain unearned which otherwise might be added 

 for the well-being of the fishing population, whilst at the 

 same time the food supply would be much increased for 

 the nation at large. 



A number of our fishing harbours are dry, or nearly so, 

 at low water, and in consequence of this our fishermen will 

 not go to sea in unsettled weather, for they know too well 

 that after and before certain times of tide the entrance door 

 of the harbour is shut against them, and consequently they 

 must, if they go out, keep the sea at all risks until by the 

 flowing of the tide there is sufficient water for them to 

 enter. 



These shallow harbours are also very dangerous to enter 

 in a gale, for the sea breaks often so heavily in and about 

 the entrance that the greatest possible risk is run when close 



B 2 



