THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 459 



little is known about the former, except that its produce, 



being herring of a small size and often lean (yele har'ing) 



was never cured, but either sold fresh as "pan-herring" or. 



smoked, the latter being the more habitual method. The 



only legislative act relative to the Zuider Zee herring fishery 



is a placard of Holland dated May 3ist, 1752,* by which 



the Zuider Zee fishermen of the province were enjoined to 



bring all their herring to market in one of the fortified 



towns of Holland and West Friesland, and not to sell, or 



otherwise transfer any herring at sea. The object of this 



enactment (which appears to have been but a renovation of 



old laws fallen into disuse) was to uphold the smoking 



establishments of Holland, and prevent herring caught by 



inhabitants of that province from being landed in one of the 



ports of Gelderland and Overyssel. The law was mitigated 



by another dated May pth, I755,t by which it was declared 



lawful for two or three fishers to sail in company, and have 



their fish brought ashore by one of them ; and they were 



moreover during the week preceding Easter dispensed 



from the prohibition to sell herring at sea. The former 



clause is indicative of something like " sale-hunting " on a 



scale reduced in proportion to the small distances between 



the ports and the fishing area. Zuider Zee vessels indeed did 



not lose much time in sailing home to their ports of Edam, 



Monnickendam, &c. ; but their time was often peculiarly 



precious, as the Zuider Zee has at all times been subject to 



fitful invasions by herring shoals so dense as almost to fill 



up the sea. It is stated that in 1549 herrings were caught 



off Enkhuizen by simply scooping them out of the water 



* Gr. Plb. viii., 1255. 



f Ibidv\\\., 1259. An interpretation of this Act was issued in 1765, 

 (Gr. PI. B. ix., 1301). 



