Show N Sic 4 o R 3 1 ti 4 S N o oN w y yr yr r r t Herring Is King at Yarmouth Prepared by National socIety I WashIngton 1 D C C Service I England Is InI Inseparable inseparable In- In InY I Y separable from the sea and sea and the herring harvest Here Dere I from October to December herring Is king Hundreds of or steam drifters clutter the harbor of the worlds world's premier herring port Tackles rat rat- rattle rattle tle the trucks and carts clatter over tile the curing yards with bulky loads londs or of fish baskets and coal auctioneers auctioneers auctioneers cr cry for bids from local and foreIgn buyers and as a n back back- background background background ground to shrieking whistles and sundry other noises there Is the constant ring of or laughter and chat chat- chatter chatter chatter ter of or the rhythmic Gaelic tongue IncomIng trains carr carry Into Yar- Yar Yarmouth Yar Yarmouth mouth some Scottish Usher fisher girls and many hundreds of or long long- longshoremen longshoremen to handle and cure the herring catches Here resort also the butchers and bakers and sweetmeat makers for Scottish palates must be catered to Churches announce special sere services services ices entertainment societies flour flour- flourish flourish ish and shopkeepers display goods to appeal to the fisher folk Count Count- Countless Countless less window signs urge visitors to Send a box of or famous Yarmouth bloaters to your friends while candy makers not to be outdone advertise ad Yarmouth roc rock the can can- candy cany candy dy ely with the fish center In Its fa- fa favor fa favor vor or however er It should be said the fish center of the cand candy refers to toa toa toa a colored fish design In the stick rather than thun to the flavor The he bustling bustling- pageant centers on Yar js j's bs b's s 's water front Lowestoft also a few miles distant down the coast presents a similar scene or of lesser magnitude It seems almost Incredible that tile the fishermen should rely so definitely definitely on the belief that the vast ast herring erring shoals arc are at such a spec specific specific location at a certain time nut But for centuries the fish have ha ap- ap appeared ap appeared with such unfailing regular regular- regularity regularity ity at their annual feeding and spawning grounds that never has hasa a fishing season been without success success suc- suc cess They May Be Delayed a Trifle In some seasons It Is true their appearance has hIlS been Ilela delayed ell for a short time by local conditions of the water and unusual current Early In the l 1933 33 season unusual conditions did exist to delay the migration Two large areas or of floating organisms and often referred to by fishermen as weedy water I or batty juice be- be because because be because cause of Its brownish color la lay directly across their normal path Its recognized distastefulness to the fish hall had halted their pro progress ress but by going around or making a hurried dash through the obstacle the vast ast shoals eventually returned unerrIngly to their old haunts The gill gm nets are about 35 yards ards long by halt half that width and are buo buoyed ed up to within 10 feet of or the surface by Inflated canvas cum pallets Although usually about nets are arc employed by each drifter suo su- superstition su superstition dictates the use of ot an un- un uneven un uneven even number Many other superstitions prevail among the herring fishing hands hand Deeply religious as so many of or the Scottish fishermen are they never neer like to see a minister come any any- anywhere anywhere where near their boats Herring Herringbones Herringbones bones have ha to be disposed of ot b by other means than burning as an anI I ancient saying Inc runs Catch me kIll me but dont don't burn my bones Catches Are Enormous When then hauled aboard many of or the nets have the appearance of or thick silvery ery blankets so closely together are the fish massed Some of or the crews who are fortunate enough to land all an or a n greater portion ot of their nets after lon long hours of or la- la fa fatiguing labor come Into port with cargoes of or from frolD to nearly berrIn herrings s On the En English drifters a share system prevails Profits arc are divid divid- divided divided l Id ed cd Into 10 16 shares of or which nine JO go JOto goto goto to the tho owner of or the boat and the theother theother theother other seven to the crew cre Ashore the catch must be cured curell packed and for shipment A comparatively small but In- In In Increasing creasing portion of or the catch Is klond that that Is Iced fresh when they are aro and landed landed and shipped for or Immediate consumption Others Oth- Oth Others Oth-ora Oth ers are arc 1 on Into blon bloaters ter kippers and r reds i J k thir 3 Iq or of wring n w Y li ii Yarmouth Nearly halt half of or all aU of 11 hl hp landings s however howe are nrc pickled for direct export The Scottish firms are chiefly though not entire entire- entirely entirely l ly concerned with this latter nc- nc activity ac activity tI which accounts in part for forthe forthe forthe the large stare staff of or men and women who come comae from all over o Scotland for the curing season The he yards In which they work are scattered extensively along the water front and on the Denes nt at atthe tile the lower end of the town As soon as the lots of or herring have baye fallen under the auctioneers auctioneer's hammer cart carters rs truck the swills of or fish to the yards and dump them Into troughs where the they are or gutted and graded gradell Working In teams of three throe two for sipping hipping and one for packing the Scottish lassies hassles dispose of or the fIsh fish with Incredible rapidity A lightning flash of a knife and the herrIng Is tossed bade Into one ot of the three grading tubs Although a small matie matle is nine Inches indies In length a n matie nine and one fourth one one-fourtha a nine and one half and a full herring ten Inches seldom are the girls In error In grading them simply by sight as the they swiftly handle them Salted first st in the gipping troughs and again when the they are carefully corded Into their proper barrels the fish mal make e their own brine Kippers and Bloaters The kippering rooms present similar scenes of or activity except that in preparing the fish each one Is or slit through the back and spread out for a brier brief saWn salting and smoking From the brine tubs the are put on racks and hung bung In the smoking rooms on narrow racking parti parti- partitions partitions called louvres lou Kippers re- re re receive only a n brief salting and smoking reds require a longer treatment The famous Yarmouth bloater Is isa Isa a lightly salted briefly smoked whole herring prepared for Imme imme- immediate Immediate diate consumption When they are not busy with knives es In the curing yards tile the girls aie ale Industriously occupied with the knitting needles As they i walk walle up and down along the water waterfront waterfront waterfront front sit In knots on the packing barrels or ride to and from their rooming houses knitting needles are always active How ITow many colored bright-colored jerseys s and the they knit to replace the ones that become worn and smeared with fish scales how many sweat sweat- sweaters sweaters sweaters ers arc are knitted for husbands and brothers of or the drifters only an untirIng statistician could con contemplate contemplate tern plate plute Even In the town social rooms you see the women knitting Great Yarmouth's time all peak In herring fishing came In 1913 when more than S crans or somewhere about one billion fish were unIon unloaded tIed on her piers In 1932 1032 the landings of or herrIng In all nil of or Great Britain's ports came cameto cameto to an aggregate of crane crans valued at about Add to these already stupendous figures the countless billions caught by br Dutch French German and other fleets not only grown full herrings but as whitebait and sardines andone and andone andone one ask asks How soon will the her her- herring her her- herring herring ring shoals be depleted Supply Seems Inexhaustible For more than a thousand years however fishing has gone on over o these same grounds without ap- ap apparent ap tip apparent parent diminution Although It Is estimated that from to miles of or British nets are arc fishing In Inthe inthe Inthe the North sea at nt one time lime yet et but buta buta a fraction of or the fish ever become ensnared During the years of or the war when practically all the fish fish- fishing fishing ing boats were on patrol or trawling mine trawling duty the herring shoals had further opportunity to increase Luck Lack of markets not lack lacIe of ot fish will continue to be the chief source or of worry of the herring herring fishing In- In In Industry So year after year despite un- un unstable un unstable stable markets and fluctuating prices many of the hardy ScottIsh and English fishermen will go to tosea tosea sea sen Now they ship aboard the Ocean An Angler Busy Bee ilee United Friends Braes Ocean Sprite Childrens Children's Trust Green Grcen Pas Pas- Pastures Pastures tures Violet anil and Rose nose and other steam drifters rapidly becoming ob ob- ob obIn A In the future perhaps Jl near U they ey may be bo haull nets over oer tube the gunwales of or new e en Diesel I IU slips bearing equally N whimsical names |