96 NORTH SEA FISHERS AND FIGHTERS 



short supplies and high prices on many occasions. At 

 Aberdeen, in February, owing to continued stormy 

 weather and scarcity of fish on certain areas, supplies 

 were short and prices advanced " until very high figures 

 were reached." At all the east coast ports the state of 

 business was the same; and Billingsgate on one day 

 was without carriers, a single steamer finding her way 

 to the market on another day, with a scanty cargo of 

 900 trunks 36 tons which she had managed to 

 collect from her fleet. During that week "no calm 

 weather was experienced " on the North Sea banks ; 

 there were continual gales, with mist and rain. A 

 singular effect of the bad weather was that at Grimsby 

 there was only a small rise in the noon tide, and for the 

 first time in some years the port's traffic was suspended, 

 vessels being unable either to enter or leave the docks. 

 A score of trawlers were kept outside, many of whose 

 skippers were anxious to land their catches that day, 

 while about fifty were locked up in dock, although ready 

 to go to sea. This was the first time such a state of 

 things had arisen since the new deep lock was made. 

 The failure of the tide caused a considerable loss to the 

 trade, as well as great inconvenience. Another effect of 

 the gale was the enormous rise in the value of haddocks, 

 55. per stone being current at Billingsgate, while as much 

 as 75. was paid at Aberdeen. 



Gloomy as that period seemed to be, yet it was 

 succeeded by a time of remarkable prosperity on the 

 markets and all within a week, for after the bad 

 weather " Wednesday's market (at Grimsby) was the 

 best ever recorded at the port for a single day so far 

 as deep-sea fish is concerned. Twelve Iceland trawlers, 



