[3] THE GREAT HERRING FISHERIES. 343 



have been made, as the owners of vessels find, great trouble in getting 

 the necessary crews for their vessels. It has become a common occur- 

 rence for the hired fishermen suddenly to leave the vessel. A special 

 commission, which met last year, was informed by a large firm in Yar- 

 mouth that the number of desertions from their vessels reached 1,000 

 in little more than a year. It is also evident that a hired crew cannot 

 take the same interest in the business as men who carry it on on their 

 own account. It is true that recently attempts have been made to im- 

 prove matters by giving the crew a certain share of the fish in addi- 

 tion to their regular wages. This, of course, is a considerable incentive ; 

 but, on the other hand, fishermen, more than most other laborers, are 

 inclined to be independent, and they do not like to subordinate them- 

 selves to the strict order and discipline which must be maintained on 

 the vessels of the large fishing fleets, and which, of course, do not i^re- 

 vail to such an extent on the vessels of independent fishermen. In 

 America a better method has been found for managing the business in 

 this respect. There the wealthy firm which owns the vessel places it 

 at the disposal of a set of fishermen, who carry on the fisheries on their 

 own account and receive a certain share of the fish. 



The Dutch high-sea fisheries, as is well known, early developed the 

 custom that rich firms or associations should own the fishing vessels 

 and carry on the fisheries with hired men. The Dutch high-sea fish- 

 eries have, therefore, from the very beginning, become " great" fisheries. 

 In Holland it has thus always been considered necessary that when a 

 new fishing vessel was fitted out, some suitable person should be selected 

 who could be placed in charge of the expedition. It depends entirely 

 on his ability to maintain discipline and sui^erintend the preparation 

 of the fish whether the enterprise will prove successful. If he cannot 

 do this, the enterprise will not pay. This manner of carrying on the 

 fisheries, however, depends on a good market for the fish, and on the 

 circumstance whether capital can be found which cannot be put t# any 

 better use, and whether suitable men can be obtained who will serve 

 on such fishing vessels, for this service is exceedingly trying and any- 

 thing but pleasant. 



As regards the availability of capital for the fishing trade in general, 

 money is usually forthcoming only too quickly, especially at the begin- 

 ning of a new fishing period, when people imagine there is a rare chance 

 for making much money in a short time. Peoj)le will hastily invest a 

 large amount of capital in enterprises before they possess a sufiicient 

 knowledge of their character. This causes losses, and people become 

 afraid to invest any more, and the trade suffers. Capital is probably 

 used to the greatest advantage when it is furnished as a loan to compe- 

 tent and energetic men whose character and experience furnish a suflB- 

 cient guaranty that the enterprise will pay. 



The "great"' fisheries in the service of vast capital are exclusively 

 carried on by cities, as they alone can start and carry on such enter- 



