404 
MR. T. SOUTHWELL ON THE HERRING FISHERY. 
The summer voyage proved a very good one. Fish were of fine 
quality, and many were sold as high as six shillings per 132; but 
prices as usual rose or fell rapidly in accordance with quality or 
abundance. The Scotch boats fishing from Yarmouth did very 
well ; hut the quantity of fish landed at Yarmouth was only 
459 lasts, whereas the Lowestoft return shows 1059 lasts. 
By the beginning of August the boats were away for the North 
Sea fishery, and the hulk of the fish taken were as usual landed in 
the northern ports. During the months of August and September 
3071 lasts were brought into Yarmouth, the great bulk (2135 lasts) 
in the latter month. Some of the reports speak of a growing 
tendency on the part of the local boat owners to commence the 
home fishery too early in the season. This doubtlessly deserves 
condemnation ; but previous returns do not show that the quantity 
of Herrings landed in these months has increased of late. At 
Lowestoft the home fishing commences later, and only 149 lasts 
were landed in August and September. 
With October the home voyage commences in earnest, and the 
fish-wharves assume a lively aspect at both ports. The month of 
October shows a very fair return, and the fishing went on steadily 
witii some slight interruption arising from bad weather about the 
middle of the month. Ibices varying, according to quality and 
supply, from Is. Gd. to 4s. Gd. per hundred for fresh Herring, and 
£4 to £12 per last for salted. In November also the fishing 
went steadily on both at Yarmouth and Lowestoft, both quantity 
and quality being good ; but great complaints were prevalent as to 
the prejudicial effects on the market of the large imports of 
Norwegian Herrings. Towards the end of the month, too, the 
weather became unsettled, and the Scotch boats finding the fishing 
unremunerative, the bulk of them had departed earlier than usual. 
In December the fishing fell off' rapidly, and soon came to an end. 
The total number of Herrings landed at Yarmouth in the last 
three months of the year being 13,6G8 lasts, and at Lowestoft 
6876 lasts. 
From Yarmouth there were 143 home and 123 Scotch boats 
engaged in the Herring fishery, manned by 2434 men and boys. 
The total catch for the year being 17,237 lasts (as compared with 
13,866 lasts in 1891), of which 2809 lasts were landed by the 
Scotch boats; and at Lowestoft the number of boats were 180 home 
