354 REPORT OF COMMJSSIOXER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [14] 



lie says that "people engaged in fisheries to catch premiums, and notl 

 fish." Later, in the year 1824, Dr. I. MacCulloch, in an excellent treatise ' 

 on the Scotch herring-fisheries, expressed the wish that the time might 

 never come when it would become necessary in Scotland to have re- 

 course to Dutch fishing methods, and to have high-sea herring-fisheries. 

 People began to see clearly that both from an economic and social 

 point of view these fisheries were much less profitable than the Scotch 

 coast fisheries, which were developed on a national basis. A curious 

 illustration of the fact that these Dutch fisheries were but little worthy 

 of imitation was furnished by the Dutch delegates to the conferences 

 which were held between the Scotch and Dutch albout the middle of the 

 sixteenth century, these delegates maintaining that the Scotch could 

 not well carry on such fisheries. They informed the Scotch that these 

 fisheries were so poor that they would nerer desire to engage in them. 

 This proved true, and in spite of all attempts in this direction, aided by 

 liberal premiums, the Dutch method has not been introduced in Scot- 

 land. 



When the British Government, in the beginning of the present cen- 

 tury, determined to lend more powerful aid to the Scotch herring-fish- 

 eries, and to pay premiums for improved methods of preparing herring, 

 these fisheries began to flourish to an extraordinary degree; and the 

 same may be said of the other sea fisheries. The sums appropriated 

 were certainly large, but the results have been astonishing. The care 

 which the Government took to obtain a good market for the Scotch 

 herring developed a trade which, in every respect, is the healthiest fish- 

 ing trade on record. 



In 1881 there were engaged in the herring-fisheries 4,997 vessels, 

 with an average of 30 feet of keel and a total capacity of 79,496 tons ; 

 4,423 vessels, with a length of kSel varying from 18 to 30 feet and a 

 capacity of 21,943 tons ; and 5,389 vessels, with an average length of 

 keel of about 18 feet and a capacity of 12,720 tons, making a total fish- i 

 ing fleet of 14,809 vessels, with a tonnage of 114,159 and a total crew 

 of 48,121. The Scotch sea fisheries, in addition, give employment to 

 1,063 salters, 2,398 coopers, and 45,291 other persons, making a total 

 of 96,873 persons. The value of the fishing vessels is £622,452 ; that 

 of the nets, £663,572 ; of the other apparatus and material, £112,437 ; 

 in all, £1,398,461 [about $6,782,500]. As appears- already from these 

 figures, the herring-fisheries are by far the most important fisheries, 

 and by the manner in which they are conducted they give to the Scotch 

 sea fisheries their true character, viz, that of coast-fisheries. The Scotch . 

 coast herring-fisheries are at the present time the most extensive her- 

 ring-fisheries known as to the pecuniary value of the fish caught. A 

 great deal may be learned from the Scotch in this respect. • The expe- 

 rience of the Scotch shows that one may be mistaken in making up 

 one's mind beforehand that a certain method of fishing is the right one 



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