578 
MR. T. SOUTHWELL ON THE HERRING FISHERY. 
VIII. 
NOTES ON THE HERRING FISHERY OF 1893. 
By T. Southwell, F.Z.S., President. 
Read 27tli February, 189 4. 
The Herring Fishery of 1893, at Yarmouth and Lowestoft, is 
universally admitted to have been one of the most disastrous on 
record for all concerned. The spring fishery w r as slightly more 
productive at Yarmouth than usual, hut at Lowestoft little more 
than half the quantity of fish were brought in compared with the 
previous season, and there were great complaints as to the badness 
of the trade, which by some was attributed to combination on the 
part of the buyers. There were fewer boats at the fishery, only 
sixteen, I believe, the bulk of the fleet having gone west to the 
Mackerel Fishery. 
The midsummer voyage was the one bright feature in the 
year, especially at Lowestoft, the fish appeared in unusually large 
shoals opposite that town and Yarmouth, and were of excellent 
quality ; unfortunately large supplies mean low prices, but taken 
all together, the voyage must have been fairly remunerative, and to 
some few very profitable. At Lowestoft, in the month of June, 
1,208 lasts were landed. 
The autumn home voyage commenced early, and there were 
considerable deliveries at Yarmouth in September, before the fish 
were sufficiently good in quality to be fit to cure ; but towards the 
end of October they improved greatly, and both price and delivery 
were very satisfactory, until the ISth of November, when following 
a lovely cloudless day, with a fine south-west breeze, at about G.30 
in the evening, a sudden gale of wind from the north-east set in, 
which lasted with great severity till the 20th, when it gradually 
abated, and on the 21st it had quite blown itself out, but the 
destruction was terrible. A correspondent of the ‘ Eastern Daily 
Press’ writes: “Fortunately the number of victims was small at 
Yarmouth, compared with elsewhere, and it is remarkable that the 
