TRAWLING FOR HERRING 53 



29.875 cwt. in 1907 to 103,197 in 1913. The west of Scotland 

 grounds show a decrease from 87,382 cwt. in 1907 to 2650 cwt. in 



1913- 



A somewhat detailed consideration of the drifters' complaints is 

 necessary for a proper appreciation of their attitude. The ancient 

 method of catching herring in most North European waters was by 

 means of a drift net. It was in 1902 that the first catch of trawled 

 herring was landed at Wick^ by the steam trawler Sirathnaver of 

 the Aberdeen Trawling Company. The skipper of this vessel was 

 stoned by the local fishermen. With the growth of trawling for 

 herring, described above, the agitation against it on the part of the 

 drifters increased, until it culminated in a meeting, at Yarmouth 

 in October, 1912, of representatives of all concerned in the pros- 

 perity of the herring drifting trade. It may be remarked, en passant, 

 that the open sea is free to all methods of fishing, and the antiquity 

 of any given method does not confer any privileges on those who 

 practise it. Both drifters and trawlers have a common law right 

 of fishing in an unrestricted manner, in the open sea, and such 

 common law right is only limited by special regulations, such as 

 those for the preservation of the peace amongst various classes of 

 fishermen, as in the Sea Fisheries Regulation Act of 1883. 



What, then, are the objections urged by the drifters against the 

 capture of herring by steam trawlers ? In the first place the drifters 

 state that steam trawling is, as compared with drifting, a wasteful 

 and destructive method of fishing. It is pointed out that in spite 

 of the enormous increase of steam trawling on the east coast of 

 England during the last decade, there has been an actual diminution 

 in the quantity of trawl-caught fish landed at east coast ports during 

 that period.^ 



In 1903 the quantity of trawl-caught fish landed from the North 

 Sea by first-class trawlers at the east coast ports, except London, 

 was 3,801,461 cwt., the average catch per day being 18-64 cwt. 

 From then till 1913 there is a steady and continuous decline. In 

 the latter year only 2,073,313 cwt. were so landed, the average 

 catch per day diminishing to 14-08 cwt.^ Contrast this with the 

 results obtained by the drifters. In 1903 herring drifters landed 

 2,913,671 cwt. of that fish at east coast ports. Since then there 

 has been a progressive increase, until in 1913 the total was 6,935,413 

 cwt. In the case of the trawlers there is a decline of 39-6 per cent ; 

 in the same period the drifters increased their catches by 61-7 per 

 cent. It is urged by the drifters that the trawl destroys the herring 

 eggs, which, as is well known, are deposited at the bottom of the 

 sea. The shoals are also said to be disturbed during the spawning 



1 See Appendix V, p. 278. * Appendix V, p. 278. 



