8 



FISHERIES 



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opened to the town. The advantages of the port at once became 

 evident, and the trawlers rapidly iiicri'iised I'runi 6 in 1858 to 70 

 in 1863 ; in 1872, only nine years later, the nunilier Wiu 248, and 

 there were 82 cod smauks besides. In the return by the Board of 

 Traile of the first-class fishing craft registered at Griinshy for 1877, 

 the number of vessels, including trawlers, cod-smacks, and a few 

 ■mailer craft engM;ed in procuring whelks for cod-bait, is officially 

 stated as 605, with an aggregate of 29,924 tons, new measurement, 

 which is more than one-third less than that known as builder's 

 measurement This gives an average of over 69 tons j but many 

 of these vessels are 70 tons, and even more. 



By the courtesy of Mr Keed, the dock-master at Grimsby, wo are 

 enabled to give the following return of the quantity of fish sent 

 away by rail from that town iu each of the years from 1856 to 

 1877 :— 



The only break in this increasing series is in 1875, and is readily 

 explained by the fact the herring fishery in that year was a very bad 

 one, and that in.stead of about 4000 tons of herrings being then 

 landed from Lowestoft and other boats at Grimsby us had been tin: 

 case for some few years previously, the quantity wa."! very muc^h 

 smaller. Great, however, as has been the increase of fish sent away 

 by rail from Grimsby, especially during the last two years, the re- 

 turns above given do not represent all the fish landed at the fish- 

 wharf ; for a new trade to the Continent has lately sprung up, and 

 fresh fish is exported direct to the following places, the returns being 

 given for the two years in which this trade has been carried on;— 



It must be remembered that this great increase of the Grimsby 

 trawl fishery has not been at the expense of Hull and othnr 

 trawling stations, for, except at Plymouth, where, owing to loc.il 

 ciiu.ses, the number of trawlers has remained about the same for 

 several years, the others have also more or less largely adiled to 

 their fleets. Grimsby is indeed comparatively new as a fishing 

 station, but it is fast outgrowing in tliis paiticular trade the con- 

 veniences which, at the time they were provided, were thought 

 ample for anything that would be required. A special dock 

 of 12 acres in extent was constructed for the u.se of the fishing 

 vessels; another of 11 acres has lately been finished, as well as 

 a graving dock capable of holding ten smack-s at a time. The 

 fish are all landed on a covered pontoon 8'28 feet long and 48 feet 

 wide ; but so crowded has this landing wharf become, thai an 

 addition to it is likely to be made. Ice companies have also been 

 established, with steamers of their own constantly bringing ice from 

 Norway for the use of the fisheries. This is largely employed in 

 packing the fish for transit by rail inland ; but ice now also forms 

 part of the regular fit-out of the trawlers, more particularly from 

 September to May, when, there generally being plenty of wind, 

 each vessel brings back its own catch of fish. An air-tisht com- 

 partment is fitted in the hold of the vessel, called the "ice-box," in 

 which from two to four tons of Norwegian ice are placed when she 

 starts on her trip, or "voyage," as it is usually called. As the fish 

 are caught they are stowed away below in bulk, with broken ice be- 

 tween the layers, and this is continued till a good quanlity of fish 

 has been collected. Then the vessel returns to port, after an absence 

 of |)erhaps ten or fourteen days. The fish are taken out loose and 

 put up to auction, the buyci's finding the packages ; in thes#^he 

 llsh are packed with a sprinkling of crushed ice again between the 

 layers, and an extra quantity at the top, which is covered with straw 

 and tied down. From May to September, however, when light 

 ■winds prevail, a different systeir< is adiipted, and the vessels fish in 

 fleets of from twenty to fifty together. Their fish are collected 

 every day by carriers, either stetnicrs or fast-sailing cutters, which 

 receive what eai:h vessel has to simd in, and with it a consignment 

 note, or " pot-list," to the wholesale dealer who has to sell it as soon 

 as it reaches the market. All the fish are packed in ice as before, 

 and are repacked in ice when sent away to the fishmonger, who keeps 

 them under the same cooling influence till almost the moment of sale 

 to the consumer ; so that from first to last the value of ice in the 

 trawl fishery is alnio.st incaleiilable. Without this material the 

 supply of trawl fish in a wholes<mie condition for food would not be 

 ft tenth of what it in now, the price would be infinitely greater, and 



the various trades benefiting by the trawling system would not be 

 in such a thriving condition as is now the case. The public 

 of course do not get. their fish .so frtish from the sea as formerly, luid 

 there is sometimts a want of flavour about it which is imdoubtedly 

 due to long icing ; but if the fish be cookctl as .soon as taken from 

 the ice, it is still wholesome and generally palatable t'uod. 



Besides the trawling stations we nave more pai lieularly mentioned, 

 Great Yarmouth is of some iinimrtakce, a-s, in addition to a con- 

 siderable fleet of trawlers belonging to the jilace, many of the 

 Barking smacks also fish from that i)ort ; but after what has been 

 alreaily said, there is nothing 8]iecial to add regarding the trawling 

 fro.n Yai 

 sta ions. 



ing: 

 t, B 



fro.n Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Barking, Ram.sgate, and some smaller 



Sl.cam trawling. — An endeavour is now being made on a toler- 

 ably large scale to utilize steam iu deep-sea trawling. The experi- 

 ment is not altogether new, it having been tried on the Devonshire 

 coast a few years ago, but without success ; for, although steam 

 answered perfectly well in towing the trawl, and saved an immense 

 deal of labour in hauling up the net, and time in going to and re- 

 turning from the fishing ground, it was found that the expenses 

 were too heavy. About five years ago a steam cutter fisli-caiTying 

 company was started at Y'armouth, with the intention of using the 

 vessels for either trawling or taking the fish to market ; but it 

 appears to have been soon found that it did not nay to use the 

 steam for trawling, and that the vessels would be n.ire profitably 

 employed in the carrying tnde. The steam-trawlii g now being 

 worked is from Shields ; and the fact is worthy of note, for it was 

 along this particular part of the east coa.st — from Sunderland north- 

 warils - that the complaints against trawling were .so loud in 1863, 

 that the mval commission of that year was appointed to incpiire 

 into the woir>irigof the trawd system, and they commenced their 

 in(\niiy at C'uUercoats, only three ndles north of the jiresent head- 

 ([Uarters of steam-trawling. In 1877 it apjicars that trawling was 

 tried with one or two steam-tugs, which, owing to the badness of the 

 shipping trade, had very little to do ; and it was found to be so 

 successful that others fitted out for the same work, until ubont forty 

 were engaged steadily in this fishery whenever there was nothing to 

 keep t em at home. The latest information is that other more 

 suitablt vessels are about to iH'gin, and that by way of fu'i.,ei t- 

 periment fast steamers are to be employed to collect the fish from 

 the trawlers, which will take it to London, it is calculated, in about 

 twenty hours. The best ground fished by these steam-trawlers is 

 said to be north of Newbiggen, and at some little dis! nice from 

 the land. Very fine soles are reportetl to lie taken there, and no 

 doubt the character that jiart of the coast formerly had for turbot 

 has not been entirely lost. The chief grievance of the Newbiggen 

 fishermen in connexion with this trawling is that their long lines 

 are interfered with ; but as they are in the habit of setting their 

 linos, and then leaving them all night to take care of themsi Ives, 

 they can have no just or legal cause of complaint against fisherni.'n 

 who are working another method of fishing in the same neighbour- 

 hood, and who have no means of finding out where the lines are 

 after it has become dark. It is well-establi.shed law that no one 

 can bo held responsible for the loss of fishing gear in the open sea 

 if the owners leave it unguarded. 



With regard to trawling grounds, those hitherto worked in the 

 North Sea are principally on the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coasts 

 for the home fishing, whilst the off CTounds are about the southern 

 part of the Dogger, and towards the Dutch coast.' Some localities 

 are famous forliaddocks, others for- plaice, while soles are ab'iulant 

 on particular grounds But there are sea.sona for each locality when 

 the fish frequenting them become more numerous there. There is 

 good trawling also to be had otf Ha.stings, on the Diamond grounds, 

 as well as on the Varne and the Ridge in mid-channel, and from the 

 North Foreland far into the North Sea. On the western side of 

 England, the Liverpool and Fleetwood trawlers work according to 

 the season between the Isle of Man and the Rnglish coast, sometimes 

 going into Carnarvon and Cardigan bays; and the Tenby ground is 

 fished by smacks belonging to Tenby, and by several luiu Brixbum 

 during the summer months. 



The number of sea-going trawlers now working on the Rnglish 

 coasts cannot be less than lietween 1700 and 1800, and of these 

 upwards of 1300 regularly fish in the North Sea. Taking a low 

 average of five hands to each vessel, we have nearly 9000 men and 

 boys engaged in this fishery, and trained to a regular sailor's life. 



Drift Fisheries. — The next in importance to trawling 

 among the English fisheries is tliat cniTJed on with drift- 

 nets for mackerel, herrings, and piiciiards. It is un- 

 doubtedly the most common method of netdishing on 

 tlis coasts of the British Islands, but nowhere is it so 

 general as in Scotland. There are, iiowever, some consider- 



' The great inorease of largo trawlers within the last few years has 

 naturally led to a more extended held of work, and many of thorn now 

 go much further to sea than formerly. 



