9 
Trawling for Herring on the Coasts of Scotland, 1238 
fish for bait; and the general desire of all witnesses 
examined by us is, that the Board of Fishery should be 
allowed to license such boats under proper regulations. 
We make this suggestion, however, purely in deference 
to the state of public feeling in the district in question. 
The establishment of any system of licensing boats for 
the capture of bait would, in the long run, involve the 
taxation of the community for the support of the officers 
by whom this fishery is superintended, and a further tax 
on the long-line fishermen, who could obtain their bait 
more cheaply if they were allowed to procure it for them- 
selves. We do not pretend that it is strictly justifiable 
to tax the community in general, or one particular branch 
of industry, to foster another; but in the prevalent state 
of public feeling about the Firth of Clyde, the method 
proposed is the only practicable means of alleviating the 
injustice of close time, as regards the persons engaged in 
the long-line fisheries. 
27. We are of opinion that there is not the slightest necessity 
for retaining a close time in any part of the coast north- 
west of the Mull of Cantire. The advocates for a close 
time in the extensive coast line between this and Cape 
Wrath desire a period different for each locality, and for 
reasons entirely dependent on class interests, and having 
no relation whatever to the protection of the herring. 
We recommend, therefore, that the coast line from the 
Mull of Cantire to Cape Wrath should be made as free 
as the whole east coast of Scotland. 
28. In coming to this conclusion, we have taken into consider- 
ation the various destructive agencies to which the her- 
ring is subject, and of which man is certainly the least 
destructive. The effect of the recent legislation has been 
to promote an increase of the major destructive agencies 
in the sea, 
29. By prohibiting the use of herring for bait during the close 
period from Ist Jan. to 3lst May, the white fish, like 
cod and ling, have been allowed to multiply. A single 
herring used for bait is employed to catch three of these 
fish, each of which, if left in the sea, would have devoured 
annually at least between four and five hundred herring. 
30. The cod and ling actually caught and cured on the Scotch 
coasts in 1861 would, if left in the sea, have destroyed more 
herring than 48,000 fishermen, As only 42,751 fisher- 
men and boys were engaged in fishing in that year, the 
magnitude of this destructive agency will be readily per- 
