MH. T. SOUTHWELI, ON THE HERRING FISHERY. 
311 
Herring Fishery than I supposed. I will therefore give briefly 
the results of the past year’s operations, but do not purpose 
entering so fully into the subject as on previous occasions. 
The spring fishery at Yarmouth produced only 119 lasts ; at 
Lowestoft 1042 lasts were landed. As a rule good prices were 
produced, as much as £25 per last having been realised on one 
occasion ; and the total result was very satisfactory to all. 
The midsummer fishery resulted in 810 lasts at Yarmouth, and 
1576 lasts at Lowestoft; and was also very satisfactory. From 
the North Sea voyage 2413 lasts were landed at Yarmouth, and 
108 lasts at Lowestoft. 
In October the home voyage commenced, and the opening was 
marked by unprecedentedly rough weather, which continued with 
intervals of fine until its close. Under these circumstances short 
supplies caused prices to run high, and consequently in favour of 
the owners, who when not subjected to loss from destruction of gear 
owing to bad weather, must have done exceedingly well. The 
Scotch boats made up early, as it was impossible for them to face 
the weather ; and for the home boats the voyage virtually came to 
an end in the middle of December; the full moon, which occurred 
on the 15th of that month, being lost to the fishermen in consequence 
of the unfavourable weather. The total quantity of fish landed at 
Yarmouth in the hist three months of the year was 10,522 lasts; 
and at Lowestoft, 5,426 lasts, the bulk in both cases being taken 
in November. At Yarmouth the returns for the home and Scotch 
boats are kept separately ; of the latter there were 170 at that 
port, and the residt of their season’s fishing was only 1,870 lasts 
(as compared with 5,221 in 1889 and 3,509 in 1890): this poor 
result was entirely due to the prevalence of weather which these 
boats wore quite unsuited to contend against. 
The total result of the year’s fishing at Yarmouth, in which 150 
home and 170 Scotch boats, manned by some 2,690 men and boys, 
took part, was 13,866 lasts (against 14,554 lasts in the previous 
season) ; and at Lowestoft, 8,153 lasts (against 7,583 lasts in 1890), 
employing 185 home and 92 Scotch boats, and about 2,494 hands; 
a grand total of 22,019 lasts, which at an estimate of .£12 per last, 
represent the sum of £264,228. 
As to the commercial result of the past season, I am informed 
that it has been entirely a “catchers’ year.” The small supply of 
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