218 
MR. T. SOUTHWELL ON THE HERRING FISHERY. 
when the supply was in excess of that, prices fell to a ruinous 
figure. The Herring Fishing last year [1890] was short but 
profitable, and if the supply in the year before had not been so 
big, that also would have been successful. In addition to the 
large catch, the trade was subject to a very serious foreign com- 
petition, which generally lasted from November until April or May, 
and drove the good red Yarmouth Herring from the market. . . . 
The Yarmouth fishermen were, as a rule, extremely conservative as 
to the way in which they conducted their business, and were not 
easily moved out of their old groove. The Lowestoft men were 
beyond them in that respect, and were to a certain extent more 
enterprising. . . . His experience of the fishing people of 
Yarmouth was that though desirable changes might be pointed 
out to them, they, though admitting such might be advantageous, 
would not take any action to move out of the old ways. If that 
was a fault, it was a difficult one to remedy. He believed, however, 
that to a certain extent the disease would remedy itself in time. 
He was pleased to be able to say that not only was the last Herring 
voyage more successful than any which had preceded it for 
several years ; but the trawl fishing for the past nine months had 
been exceptionally good, compared with what it had been for 
years previous.” 
