DISLIKE OF POLLUTED WATER 29 



sfpot, and shun the district for many years. 

 The pollution of water over a large area, owing 

 to decaying fish in lost nets, may be one of 

 the causes for what are called the capricious 

 migrations of herring. It is an established fact 

 that herrings shun waters polluted by decay- 

 ing fish or offal, and for years instinctively 

 retain their dislike of the district. 



Again, if herrings that have been landed are, 

 for any reason, allowed to lie on the seashore 

 and become putrid, the drainage from the rot- 

 ting fish will gradually reach any fishing ground 

 close at hand in the neighbouring inlets of the 

 sea. If the drainage from the putrid fish is 

 appreciable in volume it will pollute the water 

 and scare away the herring, who will not in 

 many cases return till after the lapse of a long 

 period. The dislike of fishermen to know of, or 

 see, herrings used as manure is undoubtedly 

 based upon a latent human instinct which 

 unconsciously avoids doing anything likely to 

 pollute the waters in which the fish normally 

 congregate. 



Yet the dogfish has his merits, and they 

 are all too little recognised. The Americans, 

 following the policy which is associated with 

 the practice of utilising every portion of the 

 pig except the squeal, have turned him to 

 account by christening him " gray fish " and 

 canning him for human consumption, thus at 

 the same time lessening one of the natural 

 causes of pollution of the seas and adding to 



