The Fishing Industry — Edition Insights

Vessels and Gear: The Material Culture of Fishing

The excerpts devote considerable space to the design and operation of fishing vessels, particularly steam trawlers and dories. Advertisements for firms like Hall, Russell & Co. and W. A. Massey & Sons highlight the specialization of shipbuilding for North Sea, Icelandic, Newfoundland, and tropical fishing. The text describes dories rowing away from the mother ship 'in all directions, each man for himself,' a phrase that captures the solitary labor of hand-line fishing. Gear is specified in precise measurements: lines 13 feet long, hooks in pairs, bait of 'slack-salted clams obtained on the coast of Maine.' The emphasis on material details—from the triangular-section laths of drying flakes to the 8 bushels of salt per hogshead—reflects a technical manual's approach rather than a narrative of the industry's economic significance.

Sorting, Salting, and the Grading of Catch

Gibbs provides a meticulous account of how fish are sorted and processed aboard ship and on shore. Cod under 22 inches are set aside; smaller fish and 'shack'—pollack, haddock, cusk, hake—are counted separately. On returning to port, fish are pitchforked onto the wharf and sorted into snappers (under 16 inches from nape to tail), medium, and large, with percentages given: 4% snappers, 41% medium, 55% large. The salting process is described step by step: kenching, re-piling every two days, drying on latticework flakes under canvas awnings. The text notes that 'the extraction of water by the salt is assisted by kenching, the fish at the bottom of the kench being pressed down by the weight of those above.' Such detail suggests the book served as a practical reference for those involved in the trade, not merely a general survey.

Georges Bank and the Geography of the Fishery

Although the catalog subjects emphasize British fisheries, the excerpts focus heavily on the Georges Bank, southeast of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Gibbs reports that this area yields 'about 70 per cent of the total catch,' with the Grand and Western Banks accounting for the remaining 30 per cent. He notes that a single fisherman may take 500 fish in a day there, and that approximately 60 per cent of fish are brought in iced, 40 per cent salted. The text also mentions frozen herring as bait and the use of hand-lines from anchored vessels. This transatlantic perspective—detailing American fishing grounds and methods—broadens the book's scope beyond what the subject headings imply, possibly reflecting the interconnectedness of the North Atlantic fishery or the series' aim to cover commodities comprehensively.

Readers approaching The Fishing Industry should expect a technical, process-oriented account rather than a macroeconomic analysis. The excerpts suggest that Gibbs's work is strongest in its depiction of the physical labor and material flows of fishing—from hook to flake yard. The catalog subjects may understate the book's geographical range, which includes detailed treatment of North American fisheries. For those interested in the history of food production, the volume offers a snapshot of early industrial fishing practices, though the complete text would be needed to assess its treatment of British fisheries specifically.