57* THE HISTORY OF DUTCH SEA FISHERIES. 



most used. Herring ships continue hook-fishery between 

 herring seasons, i.e. in winter and spring ; but the returns 

 often amount to a clear loss, and the reason why many 

 ships are not kept at home between herring seasons is 

 chiefly to keep their crews together, and have men ready 

 in June. At the same time, luggers sometimes use the 

 trawl instead of the hooks and lines in winter and spring ; 

 whereas a trawl-net and a keeled vessel were formerly held 

 as objects entirely incompatible. What remains of the 

 once important " beugvaart " is exercised by vessels of all 

 descriptions and hailing from many parts of the country ; 

 and it is therefore difficult to give anything like complete 

 statistics of the business. The figures contained in 

 Appendix L, and relative to exports of salt cod, will show 

 that cod-fishery, the only branch in which no other gear 

 than hooks can be used, has not shared the increase of 

 other branches. The maintenance of prohibitive tariffs 

 on foreign salt-cod in France has contributed much to 

 keep the salt cod business down. Two more important 

 causes have of late years likewise checked its progress. 

 Firstly, a series of circumstances have contributed to keep 

 the fish called geep, the usual bait for cod-hooks, at 

 inconveniently high prices. Secondly, profits are much 

 greater in fresh fishery than in the salt-cod industry. The 

 two are indeed much mixed up ; for most of the flat-fish 

 and haddock brought home from hooking trips to the 

 North Sea is sold fresh. 



Of fresh fishery it is difficult to give accurate statistics, 

 owing to the same circumstance just stated for hook- 

 fishery. Vessels of every description and from every 

 fishing port and coast locality are now employed in this 

 lucrative business ; and it is carried on with implements 

 of several descriptions, and in part jointly with fishery for 



