SOME FISH-NOTES FROM GREAT YARMOUTH. 457 



to see the decay of once prosperous deep-sea ventures. A fleet of 

 handsome trawlers still sail out of Lowestoft, but the same adjec- 

 tive may not be truthfully used when their gains are mentioned. 



Up to the middle of November the huge number of buyers 

 and others who follow the Herring fishery had great cause for 

 grumbling. Fish were scarce, and realized big prices. Boat- 

 owners had reason to mourn great losses of nets and precious 

 nights ; and those who labour ashore — fish-house hands, Scotch 

 girls who gut the Herrings, and many others — had far too much 

 idle time on their hands. 



The Herrings would seem to have been " spotty," i. e. un- 

 evenly distributed. One boat, fishing off Cromer, for a night's 

 work secured but three crans ; a boat not far off made a catch 

 of 150 crans. Big prices have been made, fresh Herrings often 

 making 38s., overdays 35s., salted 32s., per cran. One boat 

 brought in, on November 14th, 220 crans for three nights' 

 fishing, making £300 of her eatch. Up to November 15th the 

 season's total was 28,340 lasts, as against 37,732 lasts for a 

 corresponding period last year. A last of Herrings is 13,200 ; 

 there are ten crans in a last. That the local authorities do not 

 share my pessimistic forebodings is very evident by the Port and 

 Haven Commissioners setting about to obtain powers to add to 

 the existing accommodation by making a dock of about sixteen 

 acres in extent, capable of finding room for some three hundred 

 or four hundred more fishing-boats. The congestion in the 

 harbour has led to a great outcry among the fishing fraternity. 

 The number of local fishing-boats numbers, roughly, three 

 hundred; from Scotch and other ports, sis hundred. 



With regard to the summer Mackerel fishery, 1 have not 

 many details. Mr. Jay, assistant wharf-master, gives me the 

 figures for 1910 (the season lasting from April to August) as 

 follow :— Forty-five vessels, lasts 278 = 1,780,000 fish. This 

 compares favourably with that of 1909, when forty-seven boats 

 accounted for 256 lasts = 1,560,000 Mackerel. A considerable 

 number of Mackerel have been taken during the autumnal 

 Herring fishing. 



Off Yarmouth, during the autumn, some tolerable catches of 

 Codlings of four pounds each and upwards have on three or four 

 occasions been taken in five or six fathoms of water, just beyond 



Zool. 4th ser. vol. XIV. December, 1910. 2n 



