STATISTICS OF THE FISHEKT. 195 



fishing boats and the increase of the number. The Fishery- 

 Board can only take cognizance of the herrings which are cured 

 (i.e. salted), as no machinery exists for tabulating those quanti- 

 ties which are sold " fresh," but it would not, perhaps, be an 

 exaggeration to consider the quantities of the latter as being 

 equal to the number cured, which was last year 773,859 barrels, 

 as against 825,475 baiTels in 1871. Calculating, in a rough 

 way, each barrel to contain 800 fish, that would give a total of 

 619,087,200 cured herrings, while that number doubled might 

 give a tolerable approximation of the total capture of herrings 

 on the coast of Scotland. As regards the numbers captured off 

 the Isle of Man, at Yarmouth, and other English fisheries, we 

 have no authentic information — no statistics being taken of the 

 English herring or other fisheries. The following figures denote 

 the quantities of herrings which have been cured in Scotland 

 during the last six years — a period which affords a very fair idea 

 of the fluctuations incidental to this fishery -.-^ 



The Commissioners state that, at the rate of 4d. per barrel a 

 sum of £7045 : 10 : 6 was derived in 1872 from the exercise 

 of the brand, which is the largest amount yet obtained in any 

 one year since payments for branding were exacted. For 

 "branding portions of the take of the above six years a sum of 

 £30,669 : 4 : 2 was taken by the Board ; which, as the pay- 

 ment of fees is not compulsory, shows that the brand, as an 

 oflScial certificate of cure, is greatly appreciated by a considerable 

 body of the Scottish curers ; the number of barrels branded last 

 year being 422,731, or more than half of the quantity which 

 was curq^. It is estimated by the Commissioners that the fees 

 taken for branding yielded in 1872 a profit to the Government 

 of £3765. As already stated the quantity of herrings cured in 

 1872 was 773,859 barrels, and of these, as has been shown, 

 422,731 barrels were branded, a proportion which is larger than 

 that of any preceding year, and proves, say the Commissioners, 

 " the care with which the herrings were selected for market." 

 The Commissioners also say that, " considering the great extent 

 of the herring fishery, that it is carried on at night, the rough 

 weather to which the boats are often exposed, the imavoidable 



