FISHERY, 
Collins says they are also found In plenty on 
the western coasts of England and Wales. 
The fishing for them is chiefly in the night- 
time ; when a light being put on the stern 
of their little fishing-vessels, the anchovies 
Hock round, and are caught in the nets. But 
then it is asserted to have been found by ex- 
perience, that anchovies taken thus by fire, 
are neither so good, so firm, nor so proper 
for keeping, as those which are taken with- 
out fire. 
When the fishery is over, they cut off the 
heads, take out their gall and guts, and then 
lay them in barrels, and salt them. The 
common way of eating anchovies is with oil, 
vinegar, &c. in order to which they are first 
boned, and the tails, fins, &c. slipped off. 
Being put on the fire, they dissolve almost in 
any liquor. Or they are made into sauce 
by mincing them with pepper, &c. Some 
also pickle anchovies in small delft or earthen 
pots, made on purpose, of two or three 
pounds weight, more or less, which they co- 
ver with plaister to keep them the better. 
Anchovies should be chosen small, fresh 
pickled, white on the outside and red within, 
if genuine, they have round backs; for 
those which are flat or large are often nothing 
but sardines. Besides these qualities, the 
pickle, on opening the pots or barrels, should 
be of a good taste, and not have lost its tla- 
vour. 
Cod-Fishery. Thefe are two kinds of cod- 
fish ; the one green or white cod ; the other 
dried or cured cod ; though it is all the 
same fish differently prepared ; the former 
being sometimes salted and barrelled, then 
taken out for use ; and the latter having lain 
for a competent time in salt, and then dried 
in the sun or smoke. 
The chief fisheries for green cod are in 
the' bay of Canada, on the great bank of 
Newfoundland, and on the isle of St. Peter, 
and the isle o! Sable ; to which places vessels 
resort from many parts both of Europe and 
America. They are from 100 to 150 tons 
burthen, and will catch between 30,000 and 
40,000 cod each. The most essential part 
of the fishery is, to have a master who knows 
how to cut up the cod, one who is skilled to 
take, off the head properly, and above all a 
good salter, on which the preserving of 
them, and consequently the success of the 
voyage, depend. The best season is from 
the beginning of February to the end of 
April; the fish, which in the winter retire to 
the deepest water, coming then on the banks, 
and fattening extremely. What are caught 
from March to June keep well; but those 
taken in July, August, and September, when 
it is warm oil the banks, are apt to spoil soon. 
Each fisher takes but one at a time, yet 
the most expert will take from 350 to 400 in 
a day ; but that is the most, the weight of 
the fish and the great coldness on the bank 
fatiguing very much. As soon Us the cod 
are caught, the heads are taken off; they 
are opened, gutted, and salted ; and the salter 
stows them in the bottom of the hold, head 
to tail, in beds a fathom or two square ; put- 
ting layers of salt and fish alternately, but 
never mixing fish caught on different days. 
When they have lain thus three or four days 
to drain off the water, they are placed in 
another part of the ship, and salted again ; 
where they remain till the vessel is loaded. 
Sometime- they are cut in thick pieces, and j 
put in barrels for the greater convenience of 
carriage. 
The principal fishery for dry cod is, from | 
Cape Rose to the Bay des Exports, along the 
coast of Placentia, in which compass there 
are several commodious ports for the fish to 
be dried in. These, though of the same 
kind with the fresh cod, are much smaller, 
and therefore fitter to keep, as the salt pe- 
netrates more easily into them. The fishery 
of both is much alike; only this latter is most 
expensive, as it takes up more time, and 
employs more hands, and yet scarcely half so 
much salt is spent in this as in the other. 
The bait is herring, of which great quantities 
are taken on the coast of Placentia. When 
several vessels meet and intend to fish in the 
same port, he whose shallop first touches 
ground, becomes entitled to the quality and 
privileges of admiral : hf has the choice of 
his station, and the refusal of all the wood 
on the coast at his arrival. As fast as the 
masters arrive, they unrig all their vessels, 
leaving nothing but the shrouds to sustain 
the masts; and in the mean time the mates 
provide a tent on shore covered with 
branches of trees, with sails over them, with 
a scaffold of great trunks of pines, L 2, 15, 16, 
and often 20 feet high, commonly from 40 
to 60 feet long, and about one-third as much 
in breadth. While the scaffold is preparing, 
the crew are fishing ; and as fast as they 
catch, they bring their fish ashore, and open 
and salt them upon moveable benches ; but 
the main salting is performed on the scaf- 
fold. When the fish have taken salt, they 
wash and hang them to drain on rails ; when 
drained, they are laid on a sort of stages, 
which are small pieces of wood laid across, 
and covered with branches of trees, having 
the leaves stripped off for the passage of 
the air. On these stages they are disposed, 
a fish thick, head against tail, with the back 
uppermost, and are turned carefully every 
24 hours. When they begin to dry, they 
are laid in heaps 10 or 12 thick, in order to 
retain their warmth ; and every day the heaps 
are enlarged, till they become double their 
first bulk ; then two heaps are joined toge- 
ther, which they turn every day as before ; 
lastly, they are salted again, beginning 
with those first salted ; and being laid in 
huge piles, they remain in that situation till 
they are carried on board the ships, where 
they are laid on the branches of trees dis- 
posed for that purpose, upon the ballast, and 
round the ship, with mats to prevent their 
contracting any moisture. 
The cod supplies four kinds of commodi- 
ties, viz. the sounds, the tongues, the roes, 
and the oil, which is extracted from its liver. 
Tiie first are salted at the fishery, together 
with the lish, and put in barrels of from 600 
to 700 pounds. The tongues are cured in 
like manner, and brought in barrels of from 
400 to 500 pounds. The roes are also salted 
in barrels, and serve to cast into the sea to 
draw fish together, and particularly pilchards. 
The oil comes in barrels of from 400 to 520 
pounds and is used in dressing leather. In 
Scotland, they catch a small kind of cod on 
the coasts of Buchan, and all along the Mur- 
ray Frith on both sides ; as also in the Frith 
of Forth, Clyde, ice. which is much esteem- 
ed. They salt and dry them in the sun upon 
rocks, and sometimes in the chimney. 
735 
Herring-Fishery. Our great stations for 
this fishery are off the Shetland and \\ estern 
isles, and off the coast of Norfolk, in which 
the Dutch also share. Sec the article Clu- 
pea. There are two seasons for herring- 
fishing : the first from June to the end of 
August; and the second in autumn, when 
the fogs become very favourable for this 
kind of fishing. The Dutch begin their her- 
ring-fishing on the 24th of June, and employ 
a vast number of vessels called busses, be- 
tween 54 and 60 tons burden each, and car- 
rying three or four small guns. They never 
stir out of port without a convoy, unless 
there are enough together to make about IS 
or 20 cannon among them, in which case 
they are allowed to go in company. Before 
they go out, they make a verbal agreement, 
which has the same force as if it was in 
writing. The regulations of the admiralty 
of Holland have been partly followed by the 
French and other nations, and partly im- 
proved and augmented with new ones ; as, 
that no fisher shall cast his net within. 100 fa- 
thoms of another boat : that while the nets, 
are cast, a light shall be kept on the hind 
part of the vessel : that when a boat is by 
any accident obliged to leave off fishing, the 
light shall be cast into the sea: that when 
the greater part of a fleet leaves off fishing, 
and casts anchor, the rest shall do the same, 
&c. 
In the late king’s reign, very vigorous ef- 
forts were made, and bounties allowed, for 
the encouragement of the British herring- 
fisheries : the first was, of 30 a\ per ton to 
every buss of 70 tons and upwards. This 
bounty was afterwards raised to 50.?. per ton, 
to be paid to such adventurers as were en- 
titled to it by claiming it at the place of ren- 
dezvous. The busses are from 20 to 90 tons, 
burden, but the best size is 80. A vessel of 
80 tons ought to take ten lasts, or 120 bar- 
rels of herrings, to clear expences, the price 
of the fi.-h to be admitted to be a guinea a 
barrel. A ship of this size ought to have 
1 8 men, and three boats ; one of 20 tons 
should have six men, and every five tons 
above require -an additional hand. To every 
ton are 250 yards of net ; so a vessel of 80 
tons carries 20,000 square yards ; each net 
is 12 yards long, and 10 deep; and every 
boat takes out from 20 to 30 nets, and puts 
them together, so as to form a long train ; 
they are sunk at each end of the train by a 
stone, which weighs it down to the full ex- 
tent : the top is supported by buoys made of 
sheep-skin, with a hollow stick at the mouth, 
fastened tight ; through this the skin is blown 
up, and then stopped with a peg, to prevent 
the escape of the air. Sometimes these buoys 
are placed at the top of the nets ; at other 
times the nets are suffered to sink deep- 
er,] by lengthening the cords fastened to- 
them, every cord being for that purpose 10; 
or 12 fathoms long. But the best fisheries 
are generally in more shallow water. 
Of the Scots fishery in the Western Isles, 
the following account is given by Mr. Pen- 
nant : “ The fishing is always performed in 
the night, unless by accident. The busses 
remain at anchor, and send out their boats, 
a little before sunset ;. which continue out, 
in winter and summer, till daylight ; often 
taking up and emptying their nets, which, 
they do 10 or 12 times in a night, incase of 
good success. During winter it is a. most 
