FISHERIES. The capture of various kinds of fish for the purpose of trade has always been extensively carried on in maritime countries, and in those which are watered by large rivers; and has been the means in many instances of adding greatly to their prosperity. In Great Britain and Ireland, especially, this pursuit affords remunerative employment to a large proportion of the population, and forms an unequaled nursery for sailors to recruit the royal navy.
The art of capturing fish, like other arts, has been brought only by degrees to its present perfection. In remote ages, fish were caught in the rudest manner by men who lay on the rocks, ready to shoot them with arrows, or transfix them witlflpears. Even yet, in places which R1:C only partly civilized, fish are taken with blankets or sheepskins; and a roughly made spear, known as a leister, is still used in the country districts of the United in the illegal capture of salmon. Advancing intelli gence, however, and the use of fish as an article of barter for other kinds of food, soon led to more effective modes c: capture. Persons who dwelt on the sea-coast began td exchange fish for animal food killed by the inland hunters, and in this way initiated a commerce which is now represented by a vast amount of capital and enterprise.
The importance of F., as bearing on the food-supplies of nations, inland as well as maritime, and as forming is remunerative outlet for labor, can scarcely be over estimated, more especially as fish has ever been in the greatest demand by all classes of the people, and has been in use for human food from the most remote periods. Pre vious to the reformation, it was in universal demand in Britain, being the prescribed diet during the fasts appointed by the church.
One great peculiarity of this sonrce of wealth is that, with slight exceptions, the sea harvest (if we may so call it) is ripened, without trouble or expense for the fisher, who only requires to provide the means of gathering it; and that, under certain regulations, et is free to all comers.. River F., except for salmon, are unproductive iu Great Britain; and Lochleven is the only British fresh-water lake the produce of which is marketable.
The principal F. of Great Britain include the capture of salmon, herring, cod, soles, turbot, mackerel, lobsters, oysters, etc. Immense quantities of these are in con stant demand; the various lines of railway that branch inland from the coast afford a means of rapid transit, and have in consequence, considerably enhanced the value of sea-produce, much of which was at one time useless for want of sufficiently rapid con veyance to those seats of population where it would have found ready sale. It is
affirmed, indeed, by those who have studied the 'subject, that increased demands, con sequent upon improved facilities of transit, have affected the fisheries, and rendered them less productive than formerly.' The machinery of capture is being extended every year, and the supplies have now to be brought from greater distances, the shoals fre quenting the coast lines being much exhausted by the incessant inroads made upon them by the fishermen.
It is difficult to obtain reliable statistics of the different fisheries. Excepting the government board for Scotland, there is no recognized authority on the subject. The following figures, bearing on the herring-fisheries of Scotland, which are the most important F. of the United Kingdom, are taken from official returns made by the commissioners, and annually laid before parliament. They only represent the quan tity of herrings which is " cured ;" but immense numbers of that fish are sold fresh, as taken from the sea. The number of barrels cured in 1877 was 847,718, and in 1875, the number was 942.980. If each barrel contained 700 herrings, the number cured in the latter year would be 660,086,000. It would be no exaggeration to say that an equal number would be sold fresh. A large number of the barrels were branded by the gov ernment inspectors, a sum of £8,729 16s. 6d. being paid by the curers for this certificate of excellence. The number of boats engaged in the Scotch F. of 1875 was 14,656; the fishermen and boys employed in the fishing numbered 45,082 persons; and the estimated value of the boats and nets employed in the F. is £983,910. The Scot tish-cured herrings are sold not only in Great Britain, but in her colonies and foreign countries. At Hamburg and other continental sea-ports, there are merchants who deal largely in cured herrings, and employ agents who.annually visit the various British ports to purchase supplies. It is for the satisfaction of these foreign buyers that the "brand" is used; it denotes the quality of the herrings, and prevents one class of her rings being sold for another class that may be inferior. The principal seats of the her.: ring fishery in Great Britain are at Wick, in Caithness-shire, Scotland, and at Yar mouth, in England; but that industry is also carried on at many other places on. the British sea-board, and on the coast of Ireland, which is 2,500 m, in extent. It is esti mated by the fishery inspectors for Ireland that the total value of the herrings captured in the Irish seas in 1872 would amount to a quarter of a million sterling. Sixty-eight millions of herrings were taken at Howth alone.