352 CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 



barrel, and the number in the barrel, are not in any way- 

 subjected to the inspection of the fishery officer, there 

 being no law as yet applicable to the curing of red-herrings ; 

 the trade in most places has therefore very much decreased. 



We have often seen the red-herrings, sold by the prin- 

 cipal curers, examined, and found the barrels filled with 

 a mixed variety of inferior fish — the barrels too small, 

 and the herrings improperly packed ; so that orders to 

 purchase from foreign countries have much diminished, 

 and now the curers at the principal port, Yarmouth, have 

 to ship the greater part to the Mediterranean for the 

 chance of sale, and often lose considerably by such ship- 

 ments. We consider that if the red-herring cure were 

 placed by the Fishery Board under proper legislation, the 

 quantity required for consumption abroad would be largely 

 increased ; one inferior cargo sent by an inferior curer to 

 a foreign port will tend to destroy the trade. 



7. The boundary line, beyond which foreign fishing 

 vessels should fish, ought to be laid down on a chart, 

 published by authority of Government. Continual dis- 

 putes occur at the fishing stations where foreign vessels 

 resort to fish ; and it would be protecting the foreign and 

 British fishermen were the line distinctly marked. We 

 may refer to the " Beport of the Commissioners for the 

 British Fisheries for the year 1851," to show the difficulties 

 that arise on such points. In this report we find it 

 stated, "that upon the East Coast the disputes between our 

 fishermen and the French grew to be so serious and fre- 

 quent, that it became necessary to apply for more force ;" 

 and the Lords of Admiralty sent an additional war 

 steamer to assist those ships already acting for the same 

 purpose. And in the same report we are told that " a 

 question of boundary was raised by the French Commo- 



