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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



A REMARKABLE VISITATION OF HERRING 

 IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 



The abundance of herring on the coasts 

 of British Columbia has been known for 

 many years. A herring fisherman from 

 Yarmouth, England, has expressed the 

 opinion that the herring fishing grounds 

 of the North Sea cannot compare with 

 those off the shores of British Columbia, 

 and he reported a remarkable visitation 

 of herring near Nanaimo recently, when 

 the shore for two miles was knee deep 

 with these fish, that had been crowded 

 ashore by millions more while on their 

 way to the spawning grounds. The pro- 

 vincial fishery authorities, who are well 

 aware of the conditions of the herring 

 fishery in England and Scotland, are con- 

 vinced that the British Columbia herring 

 can be put on the market in such a way 

 as to command the price received for the 

 transatlantic fish, and they see no reason 

 why an industry worth from $5,000,000 

 to $6,000,000 yearly may not be estab- 

 lished. 



The herring catch of the Canadian 

 provinces in the fiscal year 1907-8 was 

 about 155,600,000 pounds, of which the 

 first value was $2,225,000. Taking into 

 consideration the immature fish utilized 

 in the preparation of sardines, consider- 

 ably more than 1,000,000,000 herring are 

 taken annually in Canada. 



NEWFOUNDLAND 



The herring fishery of Newfoundland 

 is important to that colony, but adds com- 

 paratively little to the world's supply of 

 fish. It is chiefly noteworthy for the in- 

 ternational complications to which it has 

 given rise from a very early date. 



The principal fishery is carried on in 

 winter at the Bay of Islands, on the 

 "treaty shores," and owes its success, if 

 not its existence, to the American schoon- 

 ers from Gloucester which resort there 

 every season and leave among the local 

 fishermen a large amount of money, ex- 

 pended for labor and fish. In 1907, out 

 of a total catch of 154,709 barrels of 

 fresh, frozen, and pickled herring, valued 

 at $406,409, American vessels or vessels 



chartered by Americans took to Glouces- 

 ter 113,326 barrels, which were used for 

 bait in the line fisheries of Massachusetts. 

 The friction that has frequently arisen 

 over the herring fishery in Newfound- 

 land has been due in part to ambiguity in 

 the phraseology of the Treaty of 1818 

 and in part to the action of the colonial 

 authorities in making the broad provis- 

 ions of the treaty subordinate to local 

 regulations. The effort to negative the 

 treaty rights of American fishermen be- 

 came more pronounced after the failure 

 of Newfoundland to secure reciprocity 

 with this country, and recently necessi- 

 tated the interference of the mother 

 country. 



THE HERRING WAS LARGELY RESPONSIBLE 

 FOR CHARLES I'S TROUBLES 



For many centuries the herring has 

 been the object of extensive fisheries in 

 England and Scotland, and in recent 

 years has attained greater importance 

 than ever before. In both England and 

 Scotland the fish has figured in history 

 more than any other water creature, and 

 has not only been of inestimable eco- 

 nomic importance, but has had note- 

 worthy influence on national affairs. 



The prosecution of the herring fishery 

 and trade has been considered not be- 

 neath the dignity of nobility and royalty. 

 Fitz-Greene Halleck tells us that 



Lord Stafford mines for coal and salt, 



The Duke of Norfolk deals in malt, 



The Douglas in red herrings. 



In 1677 the Duke of York and other 

 personages of rank formed a corporation, 

 called "The Company of the Royal Fish- 

 ery of England," for the purpose of 

 carrying on the herring fishery in the 

 North Sea. They built a fleet of Dutch 

 "busses" and manned them with Dutch 

 fishermen, and then were bankrupted by 

 the capture of their vessels during a war 

 with France. In 1720 some two thou- 

 sand of "the principal gentlemen of Scot- 

 land" formed a company for herring fish- 

 ing, but were quickly disrupted, leaving' 

 a mournful lot of stockholders. In 1750 

 the Prince of Wales became president or 



