^^4 THE SEA FISHERIES 



h»v! c ""^"^^ ""^ ^^?' ?' "''^y ^°""*y ^^t"^"y started was. as we 

 have seen, even with the assistance of the bounties, a faUure 



nrtTf^'^f ^''f "* °^ *^' ^^'^^'"y °^ *^^ ^^"ing fisheries of the 

 British Isles from the time of the Stuarts to 1830. the year in which 

 the bounty system was discontinued, has yet to be written. Portions 

 ot this period have been dealt with, and criticism directed to the 

 part played by the bounty system in the development of these 

 hsheries. subsequent to the failure of the Fishery Companies If 

 as Adam Smith stated. " it has been too common for vessels to fit 

 out for the sole purpose of catching, not the fish, but the bounty " 

 It is difficult to explain why the fishery did not collapse when the 

 bounties were withdrawn. 



The first Act which provided a bounty for catching fish was one 

 entitled, " An Act for recovering the credit of the British Fishery 

 in foreign parts " (5 Geo. I, c. 18, 1718).! Provision was made for 

 the payment of a bounty for several kinds of fish ; for every barrel 

 of white herrings of 32 gallons exported into parts beyond the seas 

 the bounty was 2s. 8d.. for every barrel of full red herring is. gd.. 

 for every barrel of clean shotten red herring is. It was also lawful] 

 on exportation, to mark any cask, barrel or other vessel wherein 

 such herrings, etc., shall be exported, to the intent that it may be 

 known that such herring, etc., have been exported and allowance 

 obtained on exportation of the same. No allowance was to be 

 paid for unmerchantable fish, and officers might enter mto any 

 warehouses to view the fish curing. 



In the Act for the encouragement of the British White Herring 

 Fishery (23 Geo. II, c. 24. 1750), the conditions preceding the pay- 

 ment of the bounty are set forth in some detail. A sum of 30s. per 

 ton bounty was to be paid out of the Customs, for decked vessels 

 from 20 to 80 tons burthen built for the herring fisheries. Every 

 such vessel had to be built in, and to proceed to the fishery from, 

 some port in Great Britain. Vessels were required to proceed either 

 to Brassey's Sound in Shetland by the nth June, or else to Campbel- 

 town in Argyllshire by the ist September. In the first case fishing 

 had to be followed to the ist October, in the latter case to the 31st 

 December, " unless they shall have sooner compleated their loading 

 of fish." The master was required to keep a journal of their pro- 

 ceedings, a requirement which would be useful even at the present 

 day. To prevent disputes, minute regulations were prescribed to 

 determine whether a vessel be properly qualified and duly fitted 



' Bounties were given on the exportation of herrings by an Act of Queen Anne, 

 1705- 



