MEETINGS WITH FISHERMEN AND A SUMMARY 
OF A 
LECTURE ON 
“OUR SEA FISHERIES.’’ 
Apart from tho informal meetings at Cullereoats, North Shields, 
and elscwhei’e on the coast, the delivery of a lecture on “ Our Sea 
Fisheries ” afforded an opportunity of again discussing with the men 
the questions affecting them. 
The lecture gave a resume of the history of fisheries on the 
coast, and a review of the conditions of protection. The main points 
set forth may be shortly summarised : — 
History. — Before the introduction of trawling, the fisheries of 
the North Sea were confined, for the most part, to a strip all round 
the coast. It was manifestly impossible with the ordinary sailing 
boats, having no provision for preserving the fish, to visit the 
distant banks. Still we know that the Dogger bank and a few other 
grounds were regulary visited at certain seasons by Dutch boats, and 
the luggers proceeding from Yarmouth and other centres on the 
east coast ; and such boats from Staithes and Whitby used to land 
their catches at the old fish market in Newcastle. The native 
boats do not appear to have taken part in the deep-sea fishing, and 
though an attempt was made, T believe, to introduce the larger boats 
at Cullereoats, it was not successful. The industry at the time 
specified, as far as our coast was concerned, included three kinds 
of fishing, — (1) with lines for cod, haddock, ling, plaice, dabs, Sec , 
during the latter months of the year and the first month or two at 
the beginning of the year ; (2) with pots for crabs and lobsters from 
February and March to July and August; (8) with drift nets for 
herrings. To these may be added the net fishing for salmon, though 
it was not at any time, nor is now, characteristic of the whole 
district. 
About 40 years ago trawl net fishing was introduced, as appears 
from the following note in the President’s address to the Tyneside 
Field Club in I860. “ Mr. Thomas Thompson then exhibited a 
