458 THE HISTORY -OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



for it was impossible to prevent them so long as every one 

 of the provinces surrounding the Zuider Zee was entitled to 

 legislate on fishery on its own hand, and the statutes of one 

 were not binding for the others, except in so far as they 

 had been agreed upon by treaty, as in the case between 

 Holland and Gelderland. 



The last legislative act on record relating to Zuider Zee 

 fishery other than for herring, was not conventional, but 

 issued by Holland at the request of her own subjects. The 

 set-net fishermen of Marken (a small island close under the 

 Hollands shore) in 1785 petitioned the States for protection 

 against destruction of their weirs, traps, &c., by nets 

 dragged through the water at a reckless speed, either 

 between two vessels or behind one.* The matter was con- 

 sidered with the slowness and pedantic verbosity habitual 

 in the later years of the Republic, and ended in a prohibi- 

 tion dated December 1 5th, 1786, "against the most 

 pernicious drag-fishery between two vessels (or betters) 

 coupled together," and against drag-fishery at night, even if 

 only one vessel were used. It was also prohibited by this 

 Act, to tow a grapnel behind fishing vessels ; and from the 

 latter clause, as well as from the deliberations relative to 

 the law, it appears that drag-fishery was sometimes carried 

 on with a view not only to catch fish, but also to destroy 

 the set-gear of concurrents.! 



Herring fishery appears to have been in the Zuider Zee 

 as ancient a trade as that of plaice and sturgeon ; but very 



* These nets, by the description given of them, are evidently the 

 very narrow anchovy nets (wonderkuil) against the use of which 

 measures have recently been taken (see Part iii., ch. iv.). I have not 

 however, found any distinct mention made of anchovy fishery in 

 Zuider Zee under the Republic. 



t Res. Holl. 1785, p. 5119 ; 1786, p. 2406 ; Gr. Plb, ix. 1312. 



