MR. (!. II. HARRIS ON THE HERRING FISHERY. 
483 
lasts per boat more than last year, a result which looks well, primd 
facte ; but it should be borne in mind that with the advent of the 
largo steam drifter has come about the disappearing of the small 
Scotch lugger, a change which makes the average catch look larger, 
when it is really smaller, if the respective capacities of the new 
and old style ot boats be taken into account. Perhaps it may be 
as well to point out again this year as I did in 1890 that, owing to 
the fact that much Lowestoft fish is landed at Yarmouth, no com- 
parison can bo made between the respective average catches of 
^ arinouth and Lowestoft boats. Worked out, the averages give 
• r >7 lasts per boat to’ Yarmouth, 37 lasts only to Lowestoft, a result 
obviously absurd. It should therefore be borne in mind that the 
catch landed on the Yarmouth Wharf is the Yarmouth catch plus 
part of the Lowestoft. 
1 he Scotch boats did fairly well, but left early, owing to loss of 
nets. This loss was due, not to bad weather, nor, in all cases, to 
heavy catches, but chiefly to the rotten state of their nets. In the 
old days the Scotch boats would come straight from their lining 
operations off the Scotch coast, which employed them during the 
Summer, to the Herring Fishery at Yarmouth. Between the two 
fishings only a short interval would take place for repairs and the 
necessary change of gear. They would arrive at Yarmouth at the 
end of September with brand-new strong nets. Now they begin 
the fishing earlier and fish as they come. Consequently they are 
fishing in the hot month of August at Scarborough, where there is 
little or no accommodation for net drying. The nets lie in the 
hold of the boat, exposed to the heat of the August afternoon, 
pending the owner’s departure at night. Rotting at once sets in, 
and the Scotchmen say that, now-a-days, a Heet of nets new when 
they started for Yarmouth is old by the time they get there. 
There were 306 boats fishing from Lowestoft, only about 70 of 
which were Scotch. The Lowestoft catch was 11,403 lasts. 
Return of Herrings landed at Yarmouth in 1898. 
Month. 
Lasts. 
Month. 
Lasts. 
January 
. 
Brought foiward 182 
February 
— 
July 
. 478 
March . 
— 
August . 
. 957 
April 
— 
September 
. 1,854 
May 
35 
October . 
7,601 
June 
. 147 
November 
. 6,817 
December 
. 1,136 
Carried forward 182 
Total 
. 19,025 
