of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
415 
was under the average. Later in the year, however, there came a great 
change for the better. The new season, begun in October 1889, soon 
showed better prospects. For many years the autumn herrings were not 
so numerous as in the last months of 1889, and the result was of more 
importance, because just in these months the best prices were offered for 
herrings. As now the favourable condition of the herring fishery in early 
spring holds its position, anchovies at this moment are found in singular 
abundance, and the prospects of the boat fishery are favourable ; so there 
is reason to suppose that the Zuiderzee fishers in 1890 shall be largely 
indemnified for the bad results of the fishery in previous years. 
Regarding the abundance of herrings last season, it is stated that there 
is no doubt that the better enforcement of the prohibition to fish with the 
' Wonderkuil ' in the last two years was the main cause of the increase. 
Regarding the anchovy fishery, its very changeable results seem to be 
determined entirely by other causes. Several years ago Professor C. K. 
Hoffmann came to the conclusion, from long observation, that the abund- 
ance or scarcity of anchovies in a certain year depended primarily on the 
nature of the weather and the temperature of the water in the preceding 
year in the spawning months. 
The justness of this conclusion has been confirmed in later years, for it 
invariably appears that cold and dry weather in April and May is followed 
by a scanty anchovy fishing in the following year. Dr Hoffman thus 
with perfect accuracy predicted the bad fishing in the two last years, as 
well as the abundance of anchovies in 1890. 
Oyder Culture. — The year 1889 was in many respects exceedingly 
favourable, because the state of the weather hastened both the spatting 
and the growth. The prices were not so profitable as the excellence of 
the oysters warranted, and this, not because the demand was less brisk 
than formerly, but because many cultivators hastened them to the market 
too soon. 
A very full account is given in the Report of the oyster, mussel, and 
crab fisheries in the Schelde and Zeerusche, from which a few extracts may 
bo given. On the Wester Schelde there is no oyster fishery owing to the 
protection being insufficient to allow an annual crop to come to maturity. 
The public oyster fishery in the Easter Schelde was rather unproductive 
in 1889 ; but on the leased ground the fishing was favourable owing to 
the good spatting from the early high temperature (23° C. on 20th June). 
Star-fishes destroyed many young oysters, and numbers of people were 
employed in killing them by pricking them with darning-needles. Many 
oysters were found fixed as early as July, and were then ready for ex- 
portation ; but on account of the low^ prices a large number were replaced 
on the beds, and others placed on fresh ground, where they thrived so 
well that it was not difficult to find oysters weighing 100 kilogrammes and 
more per thousand. The price for large saleable oysters began at 48 
francs and fell to 40 francs. Oysters measuring from 4 to 8 centimetres 
were sold in November for 6 francs per thousand. So large was the 
supply and so excellent the quality that 29,500,000 oysters were exported 
from Staatspoor alone during the last half of the season. It is pointed 
out that the nature of the weather is the chief factor in the success of 
oyster culture. In 1889 as many as 3,000,000 French oysters were laid 
down on the banks in South Holland. 
The mussel fisheries were fairly prosperous. A very great fall of spat 
occurred in 1888, and the crops of half-grown mussels gave fair returns to 
the fishermen. Mussels sold in Belgium at from 2 to 2| francs per 
barrel; in Antwerp at 4J francs. In 1889 the fall of mussel seed was 
not good, and a great amount was killed by the heat in shallow places. 
