3G 
the in-shore fisherman will have to abandon his present means of 
making a livelihood. Complaint was made also of the difficulty of 
keeping trawlers outside the three mile limit. 
The herring boats at Sea Houses number nine. During the 
herring season a large number of strange boats, principally from 
Cornwall and Scotland, bring the numbers crowding into the 
harbour to 50 or even 100 at times. The nine boats give employ- 
ment to 54 men, including a few half-share men, not local 
fishermen. There are 14 cobles, only 8 of which, however, are 
used in the summer, Father more than 50 fishermen, it might be 
said, are thus employed at Sea Houses. Mr. Ewing, the others 
assenting, said that the men, as regards numbers, had remained 
pretty stationary, but during the herring season 40 years ago there 
were as many as 52 local herring boats, smaller than those at 
present in use, employing five men a boat. These boats were 
manned to a large extent by half-share men who followed for the 
rest of the year other callings altogether such as tailors, shoemakers, 
agricultural labourers, drainers, ete. 
The herring boats which are falling into disuse are not being 
replaced, and some of them are now not fit to use and this will 
consequently make the number less for next season. Mr. Ewing 
gave also some very interesting information in regard to the 
condition of the fishermen in the past. He said the fisherman was 
much better off. If he had fewer nets, these were well made from 
twine spun by the women. They were stronger and were not so 
liable to be damaged as is the case now. The net then was 35 to 
40 yards in length and 16 went to form a “ fleet.” To-day the 
cheaper nets are 40 to GO yards long and 55 go to a “fleet.” It 
thus needs more gear to-day than before to catch herrings. 
Kinds of Fishing. — The herring fishing is from July to the third 
week of September. Mr. Ewing and others seem to think the 
season is contracting, but this year and last year the season has 
been later. The 7th October is the latest date known for the 
landing of herrings at Sea Houses, and that was 55 years ago, but 
it has been approached to in more recent years. The line fishing is 
from the second week of October to the latter part of February. The 
crab and lobster fishing used to be restricted to the period between 
February and the beginning of the herring fishing, but now the 
destructive autumn crab fishing is becoming more and more 
common. Eight cobles were employed at it even during the 
