Britain at Work
A Pictorial Description of Our National Industries

68 BRITAIN AT WORK. from pricks from fish bones during the process of cleaning. A good story is told of a West of England clergyman who once got himself into an awkward fix. He was addressing a congre- gation at a fishermen’s meeting, and with the object of adapting his remarks to his hearers used various nautical similes. He spoke of the noble figure of the captain navigating his ship through narrow, winding channels, abounding’ in rocks and strong currents, and described in detail the diffi- A BIG BAG OF FISH. culties of the voyage, with all the eloquence lie could muster, even repeating some of the imaginary captain’s orders, and thus working his audience up to a fine suspense. At last the vessel was in the most imminent peril, with rocks and breakers ahead. And now “ What shall we do ? What shall we do ? ” he called out; and a voice from the congre- gation replied, “ Bless your soul, guv’nor, that captain of yourn can’t do nothin’, for he’s sailing his ship starn foremost.” From all of which it is evident that it is well for landsmen to resist the temptation to embark upon nautical metaphor and from attempting to sail imaginary ships in the presence of experts. The monotony of the fisherman’s existence is indescribable, being only broken by the unending task of hauling and lowering the trawl, a process in which every man naturally takes the keenest interest, since he shares in the profits of the voyage. Even with this semi-gambler’s spirit of uncertainty entering into his work, it must often be difficult for a fisherman to take any interest in the trawl and its contents, for in winter time the process of “pawing” in the net on an icy cold night, which is done entirely by hand, followed by a further spell on deck to clean and pack the fish away, entailing perhaps an hour and a half of the hardest work imaginable, with frequent duck- ings of sea water, is enough to damp the spirit of the most buoyant nature. Yet, in spite of all the drawbacks and hardships of his calling', the average fisherman is possessed of a Mark Tapley fund of good spirits, and though he may return below too dog-tired to remove his sodden clothing before turning into his bunk again, his next summons on deck will be met with a cheery response. The more successful a trawler is, the harder becomes the work of her crew. Probably the most bitter disappointment a fisherman is called upon to endure is, on hauling his net, to find it has been rent to pieces by some obstacle on the bottom, and that the fish for which he has worked so hard have escaped, entailing the abandon- ment of his well-earned rest below until the damage has been repaired. The names of the principal fish caught in the trawl are plaice, haddock, cod, halibut, turbot, and soles, the kind taken in the greatest quantity being the haddock, and the next the plaice. These fish all frequent the bottom of the sea, and are caught by the net sweeping along and embracing them within its meshes. The drift-net fishermen are engaged in the capture of surface fish, such as the herring, pilchard and mackerel, the method employed being in all cases the same. The herring fishery is by far the most important, its yield in one year amounting to £2,177,836 sterling. The fishery commences in July off the Orkney Islands, whither the Scotch and English boats proceed to meet the shoals. As the season advances, the fish work their way further and further south, until in October they arrive in large quantities off Yarmouth and Lowestoft, remaining until