_ 61 — APPENDIX J: HOLLAND 



to the Doggerbank, for the cod-fishermens convoy; in spite however, of Government pro- 

 tection, this fishery was subject to severe losses by war, so a contract for their mutual 

 insurance against damage by sea or foemen was passed in 1622, between the shipowners 

 of the towns of the Maas concerned in the business. It is quite impossible to establish a 

 notion as to the importance of the Dutch cod-fishery in the l?*"" century. We only know 

 that the salt or dried produce of this fishery was constantly exported on a considerable scale. 

 The ships used for this trade were called hookers, and though, for the first time in 1777 

 only, mention is made of hookers with a well, such well-boats (hoeker met bunnen) must have 

 been in use from early times downward ; for without them, it would scarcely have been 

 feasible to carry fish caught on the Doggerbank to the Friday-markets of the Catholic 

 provinces unsalted. There seems not to exist any statistic of this trade during the IS"" 

 century either, it has been of some i'mportance during that period, but we do not know 

 what political difficulties (the "embargo", a general sailing prohibition, laid upon all Dutch 

 shipping by the Government) brought the cod-fishery to a full stop in January 1781. Though 

 taken up again in the following years, these experiments were not attended with success: 

 before the final overthrow of the Dutch Republic (1794) the cod-fishery had virtually come 

 to a close. 



In the period 1794 — 1813, cod-fishery like the other branches of the Dutch seafisheries, 

 can hardly be said to have been practised at all. In the first years after the restoration 

 of independence, no efforts were spared to promote a speedy rising of the national fisheries 

 and the North Sea cod -fishery also reached soon something of its former importance. A 

 premium of 250 was held out (in 1825) to every boat from the province of Holland which 

 should fish in the North Sea with hooks and lines ("beug- of hoekwant") between 

 November 15. and February 15. of any subsequent year, and this system of premiums was 

 maintained till 1853, a few years only before the fishery-law of 1857 abolished all protec- 

 tive measures. But the statistical information regarding this branch of fisheries (which 

 might enable us to judge of its importance) is nearly totally wanting. We only know 

 that, from 1844—1853, from 26 (in 1851) to 41 (in 1844) ships practised the North Sea 

 hook-fisheries in winter. The annual reports published by the Board of Sea-fisheries since 

 1857, enable to judge of its extent in the second half of the 19"" century. What remains 

 of the once important "beugvaart" is exercised by vessels of different types: some herring 

 ships (mostly luggers) continue hook-fishery between herring seasons; a steadily increasing 

 number of steamers fish also with the long-line in winter and with the herring nets in 

 summer and autumn. From a few Dutch fishing-harbours (Middelharnis, Pernis) only this 

 branch of sea-fisheries is exercised, but it cannot be said to have shared the increase of 

 the other branches. The maintenance of prohibitive tariffs on foreign salt-cod in France, 

 the difl'iculty of finding always sufficient and cheap bait for the cod-hooks and the greater 

 profits arrived at in the other branches, have checked the progress of the long-line-fishery 

 (and that of the salt-cod industry especially) in the Netherlands. 



At present, there are about 20 Dutch ships which practise long-linc-Ushery exclusively. 

 In winter, they land mostly fresh-fish, in summer and autumn salted fish. About 40 Dutch 

 vessels, belonging to the herring- fleet, fish with long-lines (or hand-lines) in winter and 

 spring and bring their fish to the market, partly in fresh and partly in salted condition. 

 They are, as a rule, furnished with a well and they are to a large extent steamers. In 

 1903, not less than 28 so-called "ateam-beugers", steamships from Vlaardingen, Maassluis 



