G84 
MU. T. SOUTHWIiLL ON TIIK HERIUNG FISHERY. 
up of the sand-bank at the entrance of Lowestoft Harbour assumed 
a serious aspect, and many of the boats from that port had to avail 
themselves of the Yarmouth fish-wharf Notwithstanding this, the 
Yarmouth return for the month of November was only 5380 lasts 
against 7141 in 1887, and that of Lowestoft 2241 against 3953, 
thus, what is usually the best month for fishing, as well as that 
which yields fish of the finest quality, proved a decided failure in 
all respects. The fishing was virtually over very early in December, 
and the Scotch boats sailed away home, I fear barely paying 
their expenses. The total catch of the month for Yarmouth was 
only 1094 lasts against 2894 last season, and Lowestoft 672 lasts 
against 1307. 
Such is a brief account of the progress of the voyage. Although 
it will be seen that the total produce for Yarmouth was 836 lasts 
in excess of that of 1887, with a falling off in the Lowestoft return 
of 201 lasts, it will be found that the figures do not at all give 
an adequate idea of the character of the voyage. Early in the 
autumn, during August and September, large quantities of fish 
were taken and of excellent quality, but as there were but few 
buyers present, owing to their working fishing stations further 
north, had it not been for the superior quality of the fish, they 
would have been unmarketable, as it wa.s, the Scotch fishery having 
been very short, many of them found their way into the German 
market, and met with a fairly successful sale. Later on when the 
most remunerative part of the season should have arrived, the 
weather proved so bad that the Scotch boats were unable to fish 
at all, and the few Herrings landed by our own boats were in very 
bad condition, thus it happened that although at one period of 
the season the catch was some 4000 lasts ahead of last year’s, the 
final result was most unfavourable. 
One very peculiar feature of the season was, that the autumn 
Mackerel voyage off Lowestoft, in which a large number of boats 
are annually engaged from first week in September to middle of 
October, proved a most disastrous failure, and this for almost the 
first time since its commencement, which was some twenty years or 
more ago. No reasonable explanation can be given of the strange 
freak of the “striped beauties;” and, for the sake of all those 
eoncerned, it is sincerely to be hoped the like will not be repeated. 
