Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/260

 250 FISHERIES [ENGLISH. opened to the town. The advantages of the port at once became evident, and the trawlers rapidly increased from 5 in 1858 to 70 in 1863 ; in 1872, only nine years later, the number was 248, and there we re 82 cod smacks besides. In the return by the Board of Trade of the first-class fishing craft registered at Grimsby for 1877, the number of vessels, including trawlers, cod-smacks, and a few smaller craft engaged in procuring whelks for cod-bait, is officially stated as 505, with an aggregate of 29,924 tons, new measurement, which is more than one-third less than that known as builder s measurement. This gives an average of over 59 tons ; but many of these vessels are 70 tons, and even more. By the courtesy of Mr Keed, the dock-master at Grimsby, we are enabled to give the following return of the quantity of fish sent away by rail from that town in each of the years from 1856 to 1877 : Years. Tons. Years. Tons. Years. Tons. 1856 1,614 18G4 11,198 1871 30,857 1857 3,435 1865 13,368 1872 31,193 1858 4,344 1866 15,692 1873 34,876 1859 4,742 1867 19,416 1874 35,1:54 1860 4,842 1868 21,621 187.5 34,881 1861 5,371 1869 24,140 1876 40,185 1862 8,521 1870 26,324 1877 44,376 18C3 9,408 The only break in this increasing series is in 1875, and is readily explained by the fact the herring fishery in that year was a very bad one, and that instead of about 4000 tons of herrings being then landed from Lowestof t and other boats at Grimsby as had been the case for some few years previously, the quantity was very much smaller. Great, however, as has been the increase of fish sent away by rail from Grimsby, especially during the last two years, the re turns above given do not represent all the fish landed at the fish- wharf ; for a new trade to the Continent has lately sprung up, and fresh fish is exported direct to the following places, the returns being given for the two years in which this trade has been carried on: Year. Tons. Year. Tons. Hamburg 1876 21 1877 Ill Kotterdam 1639 2683 Antwerp 735

911 It must be remembered that this great increase of the Grimsby trawl fishery has not been at the expense of Hull and other trawling stations, for, except at Plymouth, where, owing to local causes, the number of trawlers has remained about the same for several years, the others have also more or less largely added to their fleets. Grimsby is indeed comparatively new as a fishing station, but it is fast outgrowing in this particular trade the con veniences which, at the time they were provided, were thought ample for anything that would bo required. A special dock of 12 acres in extent was constructed for the use of the fishing vessels ; another of 11 acres has lately been finished, as well as a graving dock capable of holding ten smacks at a time. The fish are all lauded on a covered pontoon 828 feet long and 48 feet wide ; but so crowded has this landing wharf become, that an addition to it is likely to be made. Ice companies have also been established, with steamers of their own constantly bringing ice from Norway for the use of the fisheries. This is largely employed in packing the fish for transit by rail inland ; but ice now also forms part of the regular fit-out of the trawlers, more particularly from September to May, when, there generally being plenty of wind, each vessel brings back its own catch of fish. An air-tight com partment is fitted in the hold of the vessel, called the &quot;ice-box,&quot; in which from two to four tons of Norwegian ice are placed when she starts on her trip, or &quot;voyage,&quot; as it is usually called. As the fish tire caught they are stowed away below in bulk, with broken ice be tween the layers, and this is continued till a good quantity of fish has been collected. Then the vessel returns to port, after an absence of perhaps ten or fourteen clays. The fish are taken out loose and put up to auction, the buyers finding the packages ; in these the Jish are packed with a sprinkling of crushed ice again between the layers, and an extra quantity at the top, which is covered with straw and tied down. From May to September, however, when light winds prevail, a different system is adopted, and the vessels fish in fleets of from twenty to fifty together. Their fish are collected every clay by carriers, cither steamers or fast-sailing cutters, which receive what each vessel has to send in, and with it a consignment note, or &quot; pot-list,&quot; to the wholesale dealer who has to sell it as soon as it reaches the market. All the fish are packed in ice as before, and arc repacked in ice when sent away to the fishmonger, who keeps them under the same cooling influence till almost the moment of sale to the consumer ; so that from first to last the value of ice in the trawl fishery is almost incalculable. Without this material the supply of trawl fish in a wholesome condition for food would not be .1 tenth of what it is now, the price would be infinitely greater, and the various trades benefiting by the trawling system would not be such a thriving condition as is now the case. The public of course do not get their fish so fresh from the sea as formerly, and there is sometimes a want of flavour about it which is undoubtedly due to long icing ; but if the fish be cooked as soon as taken from the ice, it is still wholesome and generally palatable food. Besides the trawling stations we have more particularly mentioned, Great Yarmouth is of some importance, as, in addition to a con- iderable fleet of trawlers belonging to the place, many of the Barking smacks also fish from that port ; but after what has been already said, there is nothing special to add regarding the trawling from Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Barking, Ramsgate, and some smaller stations. Steam trawling. An endeavour is now being made on a toler- Steam ably large scale to utilize steam in deep-sea trawling. The experi- trawling, ment is not altogether new, it having been tried on the Devonshire coast a few years ago, but without success ; for, although steam answered perfectly well in towing the trawl, and saved an immense deal of labour in hauling up the net, and time in going to and re turning from the fishing ground, it was found that the expenses were too heavy. About five years ago a steam cutter fish-carrying company was started at Yarmouth, with the intention of using the vessels for either trawling or taking the fish to market ; but it appears to have been soon found that it did not pay to use the steam for trawling, and that the vessels would be more profitably employed in the carrying trade. The steam-trawling now being worked is from Shields ; and the fact is worthy of note, for it was along this particular part of the east coast from Sunderland north wards that the complaints against trawling were so loud in 1863, that the royal commission of that year was appointed to inquire into the working of the trawl system, and they commenced their inquiry at Cullercoats, only three miles north of the present head quarters of steam-trawling. In 1877 it appears that trawling was tried with one or two steam-tugs, which, owing to the badness of the shipping trade, had very little to do ; and it was found to be so successful that others fitted out for the same work, until about forty were engaged steadily in this fishery whenever there was nothing to keep them at home. The latest information is that other more suitable vessel^ are about to begin, and that by way of further ex periment fast steamers are to be employed to collect the fish from the trawlers, which will take it to London, it is calculated, in about twenty hours. The best ground fished by these steam-trawlers is said to be north of Newbiggen, and at some little distance from the land. Very fine soles are reported to be taken there, and no doubt the character that part of the coast formerly had for turbot has not been entirely lost. The chief grievance of the Newbiggen fishermen in connexion with this trawling is that their long lines are interfered with ; but as they are in the habit of setting their lines, and then leaving them all night to take care of themselves, they can have no just or legal cause of complaint against fishermen who are working another method of fishing in the same neighbour hood, and who have no means of finding out where the lines are after it has become dark. It is well-established law that no one can be held responsible for the loss of fishing gear in the open sea if the owners leave it unguarded. With regard to trawling grounds, those hitherto worked in the Trawling North Sea are principally on the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coasts grounds, for the home fishing, whilst the off grounds are about the southern part of the Dogger, and towards the Dutch coast. 1 Some localities. are famous for haddocks, others for plaice, while soles arc abundant on particular grounds But there are seasons for each locality when the fish frequenting them become more numeroiis there. There is good trawling also to be had off Hastings, on the Diamond grounds, as well as on the Yarne and the Ridge in mid-channel, and from the North Foreland far into the North Sea. On the western side of England, the Liverpool and Fleetwood trawlers work according to the season between the Isle of Man and the English coast, sometimes going into Carnarvon and Cardigan bays ; and the Tcnby ground is fished by smacks belonging to Tenby, and by several from Brixham during the summer months. The number of sea-going trawlers now working on the English Number coasts cannot be less than between 1700 and 1800, and of these of upwards of 1300 regularly fish in the North Sea. Taking a low trawlers, average of five hands to each vessel, we have nearly 9000 men and boys engaged in this fishery, and trained to a regular sailor s life. Drift Fisheries. The next in importance to trawling Drift among the English fisheries is that carried on with drift- fisheries. nets for mackerel, herrings, and pilchards. It is un doubtedly the most common method of net-fishing on the coasts of the British Islands, but nowhere is it so general as in Scotland. There are, however, some consider- 1 The great increase of large trawlers within the last few years has naturally led to a more extended field of work, and many of them now go much further to sea than formerly.