644 
X. 
NOTES OX THE HERRING FISHERY OF 1883. 
By Thomas Southwell, F.Z.S. 
Read 2 ^th March, 1884 . 
The history of the Herring Fishery |pr the past season, unlike the 
cherpiered voyage of last year, has been one continued success. 
Commencing at Lowestoft early in March, the takes were very fair 
and the prices equally good. In April, 1523 lasts "were taken, 
which sold as high as £15 or £16 per last (13,200 fish). One owner 
is said to have cleared £1220 in ten weeks. In April the fishery 
still continued good, and, in addition, some very large catches of 
Mackerel were made, one boat having landed from a single voyage 
sufficient to realize £300. The total catch for what may he termed 
the spring voyage, amounted to 2718 lasts for Lowestoft and 
343 lasts for Yarmouth, where the spring fishing is not prosecuted 
to any extent. As to the quality of these spring Herring 
there cannot be two opinions, and, except that they are useful 
for bait, it is much to be regretted that the fishery from Lowestoft 
appears to be on the increase. 
During the months of June and July 46 lasts were landed 
at Yarmouth, and in August 915 lasts, but during the same three 
months, only 92 lasts were brought into Lowestoft. 
The autumn voyage may be said to commence in September, 
and again the weather was propitious and the deliveries good, 
nearly equalling the totals of 1882, which for September and 
October were unprecedentedly large. In the first week in October 
2583 lasts were delivered at the Yarmouth wharf in six days ; and 
on the 29th, 700 lasts were delivered at Yarmouth, and between 
300 and 400 lasts at Lowestoft in one day; but in November the 
quantities of fish taken at both ports were even greater. For the 
week ending Wednesday, November 14th, 730 boats landed at 
Yarmouth 2479 lasts of fish, some of the boats bringing in as 
many as 10 to 19 lasts, and it is said that already single boats had 
realized from £1000 to £2000. Saturday, November 17th, was a 
red-letter day for the Herring boats. Both the old and new markets 
at Lowestoft were insufficient to admit the landing of all the fish 
simultaneously; and it is said that 1400 lasts were landed in that 
