THE RISE OF THE HERRING FISHERIES 129 



Yarmouth, and between thirty and forty from Lowestoft. Vessels 

 came frequently from Holland, but were not allowed to sell their 

 herring at Yarmouth. " They have an excellent mode of barking 

 their nets (i.e. the local boats), 27 bushels of bark to eighty or 

 ninety nets." One-fourth of the nets were renewed annually. All 

 the nets were of the same dimension, namely, thirty-four meshes to 

 the yard, catching fish about 1000 to the barrel. 



A study of the statistics of the Yarmouth herring fishery for 

 the period 1739-1782, shows that on the whole the red herring 

 fisheries were declining.^ 



The total number of barrels of red herring prepared at Yarmouth, 

 both for domestic and foreign consumption, sank from 51,859 in 

 1739 to 18,802 in 1782. In the ten years, 1788-97, of a total export 

 from England of 129,635 barrels of red herring, only eighty-six 

 went to Russia, twenty-five to Prussia, 1234 to Germany, the chief 

 markets being the " Streights and Gibraltar " and the West Indies. ^ 



In 1913, which was the last complete herring season at Yarmouth 

 prior to the war, the fishery was the most prosperous ever seen, 

 either in East Anglia or elsewhere. The catch for Yarmouth and 

 Lowestoft was approximately 1,360,000 crans, Yarmouth's share 

 being 823,600 crans and Lowestoft's 536,400. This total was 

 17,000 crans more than the united spring and summer catches of 

 Scotland and Northumberland, and its value to the fishermen 

 alone was about ;£i,35o,ooo ; since the average price realised on 

 landing was not less than a pound per cran. Over 1000 vessels 

 participated in the fishing from Yarmouth and over 600 from 

 Lowestoft. Scottish fishermen were responsible for 34 per cent of 

 the catch, no less than 1163 Scottish boats taking part in the 

 fishing. Scottish fishermen would have taken an even greater 

 share but for their habit of returning home with the November 

 moon ; after which, in 1913, considerable catches and high prices 

 were recorded. 



Isle of Man 



It is impossible to do more than glance at the herring fisheries of 

 the Isle of Man, although they have been from time immemorial a 

 source of food supply and revenue to the island fishermen. 



In 1610, upon a Tynwald holden in June, the Lieutenant, Deem- 

 sters, Officers and Keys being assembled, an Act was passed for the 

 regulation of the herring fishery, which " is as great a blessing as 

 this poor Island receives." It was enacted that all farmers and 

 tenants were to be prepared with nets for the fishing, which was 



1 Third Report on the State of the British Fisheries, 1785. App. VIII, p. 61. 

 ' Second Report on the State of the British Herring Fisheries, 1798, p. 277. 



K 



