The Fishing IndustryGibbs, William E. (William Edward)
History
The Fishing Industry
Gibbs, William E. (William Edward)
Fisheries; Fisheries -- Great Britain
(3) That piracy be encouraged, privately-owned privateers forming
valuable auxiliaries in time of war.
He thought that the fishing industry could be stimulated immediately
by renewing the fast days, which had fallen into disuse since the
abolition of the monasteries.
He suggested that two days a week—Wednesday and Friday—should be
meatless days.
In 1563, he tried a measure of Protection, a Navigation Act being
passed, making it illegal to buy or sell foreign-caught fish, and
attempts were made to prevent Dutch and other foreigners from fishing
in English waters. These measures, although passed by Parliament, do
not appear to have been enforced.
James I issued two proclamations, imposing licences and dues upon
foreign fishing vessels fishing in British waters. No attention was
paid to these, and it was left to Charles I, some years later, to
enforce them. Other steps taken by both Charles I and Charles II
consisted mainly in the formation of Royal Fishery Companies. Various
fishery companies and societies succeeded one another up to the end
of the eighteenth century. They do not appear to have been successful
in establishing a flourishing fishing industry, and in 1718 (George
I) an act was passed by which fishermen were to be rewarded for their
catch by a bounty. Bounties were to be paid for several kinds of fish:
thus, for every barrel of white herrings of 32 gallons, exported beyond
the seas, the bounty was 2s. 8d.; for full red herrings, 1s. 9d. per
barrel; for empty red herrings, 1s. per barrel.
The conditions upon which the bounty was to be paid were fully set
forth in a later act in 1750 (George II). The construction of herring
vessels was encouraged by a bounty of 30s. per ton, paid out of the
Customs, for decked fishing vessels of from twenty to eighty tons.
The time and place of fishing were stipulated, as well as rules for the
proper management and prosecution of the fishery. Each vessel was to
have on board twelve Winchester bushels of salt for every last of fish
such vessel was capable of holding, the salt to be contained in new
barrels.
In 1757, the bounty was increased to 50s. per ton, but was reduced to
30s. again in 1771. It was further reduced to 20s. in 1787, and an
additional bounty of 4s. per barrel added. This was made proportional
to the tonnage, so that no vessel could claim more than 30s. per
ton—unless the vessel caught over three barrels per ton, in which case
a bounty of 1s. per barrel was granted upon the surplus quantity.
While the bounty often undoubtedly encouraged the development of the
fishery, the development was not so rapid or so extensive as it would
otherwise have been, owing to the duty on imported salt. The weight of
the duty was such that the fishermen threw fish overboard rather than
cure it, only landing that which could be brought in fresh.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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