VI PREFACE. 



means of the wise legislation lately entered upon, and pre- 

 figured in the first edition of this book. The year just 

 closing has been an extraordinary one, both as regards the 

 capture of salmon and herring ; but, despite of the present 

 abundance of these fish, we must not run away with the 

 idea that such plenty wiU occur year by year as a matter of 

 course. Some persons may be satisfied with the herring 

 harvest of the present year, and it is undoubtedly large, but 

 I would ask regarding it this question — " Is the take of 

 these fish commensurate to the machiaery einployed in their 

 capture 1" The large increase of salmon in the present 

 year [1873] we can understand j it is, as I have said, the 

 fruit of wise legislation, and it is gratifying to think that 

 it is likely to continue. The same cannot, however, be 

 predicted of the herring, but we are entitled to ask what 

 there is to prevent our taking as many herrings every year as 

 we have caught during the season which has just expired. 

 In a matter of such vital importance to a country as the 

 gathering of its herring harvest, which not only contributes 

 largely to the food resources of the nation, but aifords as 

 well a large outlet for capital, and the employment of the 

 population, we cannot afford to make a mistake. If there 

 are more herrings for us to capture than we have hitherto 

 been in the habit of taking, let us by all means capture 

 them, but if, on the other hand, we are over-fishing, let it be 

 known. We dare not by mal-economy lay waste an industry 

 so productive as the herring-fishery of Scotland. 



It is fortunate that we can obtain reliable statistics of 

 the herring-fishery. To give us these statistics, and to watch 

 over the curing of the fish, is the business of the Scottish 

 Fishery Board, which a few of our radical Members of 

 Parliament would abolish, if they could. It is to be hoped 

 they will never be able to do so : that Board ought not to 

 be abolished ; on the contrary, its life ought to be prolonged 

 and its jurisdiction extended ; it is one of the most valuable 

 Boards that the modem mania for centralisation has left to 

 Scotland. It is greatly to be regretted that the Fishery 

 Board cannot take cognisance and collect statistics of all 

 the fisheries of Scotland. We cannot obtain sufficient 



