332 THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



3, cod fishery ; and 4, the minor industry of catching 

 fresh fish of different kinds, both in the North Sea and 

 Zuider Zee. 



Differences with other nations about the right to fish in 

 certain parts of the sea have been frequent during the 

 period which will be treated in the annexed pages, when as 

 yet there were no generally adopted rules of international 

 law. As these differences were of vital interest to a nation 

 whose fishing vessels once frequented the shores of 

 several States, a brief account of them will be given in a 

 separate chapter. 



CHAPTER I. 

 GRAND FISHERY. 



THE distinctive points about the cured-herring fishery 

 under the Republic are the following : 



ist. It was exercised in the second half of the year, 

 chiefly about the coasts of England and Scotland. 



2nd. It was carried on in keeled vessels known by the 

 general denomination of busses (buizeit}, the size of which 

 afforded room to cure the herring on board as soon as 

 caught, and thus produce the excellent and easily export- 

 able article for which Holland has long been famous 

 throughout the world. 



3rd. It was, by reason of the immense market open to its 

 produce, at one time very far ahead of all other branches 

 of fishery as regards actual importance, and its preservation 

 was one of the chief objects of the Government's solicitude, 

 whence the history of fishery legislation is chiefly that of 

 regulations on herring fishery. 



It has been said at the conclusion of the first part of this 

 work, that something like a codification of the laws on 



