TRAWL VEKSUS DRIFT-NET. 145 



carrying on the herring-fishery, and in their first year 

 they built and despatched twelve boats, at a cost of <400 

 each. In May 1863 twenty-seven other boats sailed from 

 Campbelton for the Stornoway herring-fishery ; and on 

 the morning of the 3rd of June, says a writer already 

 quoted,* it was a beautiful sight to see, in that lovely 

 land-locked harbour, one hundred and forty boats laden 

 with those silvery gems and phosphoric splendours for 

 which the herring is so remarkable. 



In May 1868, the fleet that sailed from the Cantire port 

 numbered thirty-six smacks. One of these brought in 

 thirty maze (a " maze " contains six hundred) of trawled 

 herrings from six to eight maze being the number taken 

 with the drift-nets. The best fish were retailed at three- 

 halfpence each ; then at eight for sixpence with inferior 

 fish at fifteen for sixpence ; but the profit on these sums 

 went to the women who sold the fish, as they were pur- 

 chased from the boats at three shillings and three shillings 

 and sixpence per hundred. 



As to the method of taking the herring, the law has 

 laid down a very strict rule: the herring must not be 

 trawled, but taken with a drift-net. Such is the rule, at 

 least, which obtains in Loch Fyne ; for trawling is allow- 

 able on the eastern coast of Scotland, and north of 

 Ardnamurchan Point on the western coast : an anomaly 

 for which the fishermen do not echo the old cry, " God 

 bless the Duke of Argyll ! " Yet, in defiance of the 

 law, trawling is largely practised in Loch Fyne ; and the 

 steamers convey many barrels of trawled herrings from 

 Cantire to Glasgow. The trawling is accomplished, as 

 explained in our remarks on the White-Fish Fishery, 



* Once a Week for 1869, p. 39. 



