CHAPTER IV 



THE HERRING INDUSTRY IN THE NINETEENTH 

 AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES 



Section I. — The Nineteenth Century. 



The history of the herring fishery in the 

 nineteenth century was, comparatively speak- 

 ing, uneventful. We have already noticed the 

 cessation of the Government bounties. The 

 chief external events in the fishing world were 

 the Conventions by which the rights of the 

 States of Europe over their territorial waters 

 were defined, those with France in 1839 

 and 1867, and that with the North Sea Powers, 

 Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark and the 

 Netherlands of 1882. The first of these was 

 brought about by the constant quarrels of 

 French and English fishermen over the rights 

 of the English to dredge for oysters off the 

 French coast, and those of the French fishing 

 fleets from Calais, Boulogne and Dieppe to 

 fish oft the coasts of Kent and Essex. The 

 findings of the Commission of both nations 

 appointed in 1837 were embodied in the Con- 

 vention of 1839 and in an Act of Parliament 

 in 1843, but the Convention of 1867 was re- 

 quired to settle the question. 



The Conference of the North Sea Powers held 

 at the Hague in 1881 was " not so much to 



