212 
MR. T. SOUTHWELL ON THE HERRING FISHERY. 
spring voyage, which was very active in March and April, closed 
in May with a total of 694 lasts, compared with 1864 lasts in the 
corresponding season last year. The spring voyage from this port 
is spoken of as dull in the extreme and the prices ruinous : the 
highest boat is said to have made only £100, and the lowest not 
half that amount for eight weeks’ hard work. It is an open 
question whether it would not be better to discontinue this spring 
fishing ; the quality of the fish, which are immature, being simply 
wretched and valueless, except for bait. By many it is thought 
that these spring Herring, if left till June and July, would largely 
augment the midsummer catch, when they would have arrived at 
maturity, and be of the same excellent quality which characterises 
the fish taken at that season. This is denied by others ; but it 
is useless to hope for impartial e\ idence until some properly 
constituted authority has thoroughly investigated the matter. 
This will never be done by the “practical men,” whose whole 
time is occupied in earning an often scanty livelihood, and is one 
of the many problems which can only be solved by scientific 
experts, such as do so much excellent work in connection with the 
Scottish Fishery Board. 
June and July produced 379 lasts, and prices were very good, 
so that this portion of the voyage appears to have been exceptionally 
satisfactory. In August and September very few Herrings are 
landed at Lowestoft, and the autumn voyage, which may be said 
to commence in October, went on fairly all through that month ; 
but early in November came, first light winds, which kept the 
boats at sea, followed towards the end of the month by north- 
east gales, which prevented many of the boats from leaving the 
dock, and deprived them to a great extent of the advantage of 
the November moon. The total result of the autumn voyage was 
6381 lasts, against 10,050 last year, and there were, as usual, great 
fluctuations in value ; but on the whole prices averaged fairly 
well, and the nett results of the voyage appear to have been 
satisfactory. The total catch of the yehr at Lowestoft was 
7583 lasts, as compared with 13,098 lasts in 1889. The number 
of boats employed in the autumn voyage was 173 Home and 
87 Scotch, manned by 1730 and 670 men and boys respectively. 
At Yarmouth the spring Herring fishery produced only about 
104 lasts, a much smaller number than in the two preceding years, 
