[Sidenote: II 243]
[Sidenote: III 112]
The old clinker built “Egmonder Pink”, formerly the largest fishing
boat (35 feet long, 12 feet wide and 3 feet deep) became too small,
just as soon as herring nets, constantly increasing in size and weight,
began to come into use.
THE BUIS (_Bush_).
[Sidenote: II 197]
[Sidenote: II 223]
[Sidenote: II 224]
[Sidenote: II 231]
[Sidenote: III 113]
A new boat became necessary. It was built larger and with a smooth
hull, thus giving the “Buis” (bush), 52 feet long, 13 feet wide and 8
feet deep. This boat had a much greater tonnage than did the “Pink”.
(~Witsen~, p. 167.)
[Sidenote: II 195]
[Sidenote: II 196]
[Sidenote: II 198]
At the end of the XVth century, there were already at Enkhuizen
400 to 500 “Haringbuizen”, and there were also 40 of the so called
_Grootschippers_ (large fishing boats), which could carry from 20 to
120 lasts. (~Koenen~, p. 78.) In 1590, 350 “bushes” started for the
herring fishery, and, at the beginning of the XVIIth century, 1609,
3000 Dutch bushes were fishing in the North Sea, whereas in 1601 their
number did not exceed 1500. (_Groen van Prinsterer Handboek_, § 100,
~Koenen~, p. 156.) These 3000 boats, said ~Koenen~, have a total of
50,000 men in their crews, and this fleet requires in its turn 9000
larger boats and 150,000 men on land and at sea to pack and transport
the fish. It is estimated that 20 “Haringbuizen” give employment to
8000 persons.
A fleet of 1500 bushes passed three times through the Texel passes at
the beginning of the XVIIth century. Hence it is not astonishing that
the departure of this fleet should produce a great impression. Even
in our day, the well known “Buisjesdag” (day of the bushes) is still
spoken of.
When, at the time of the second war with England, the herring fishery
was stopped on the North Sea and the fishermen continued their work on
the “Zuyderzee”, some of them still succeeded in taking, in a month,
800 last (1600 tonnes) of herrings valued at 15,620 florins. A large
number of decrees appear in reference to fishing (1611, 1612, 1620 and
1629).
For example:
“Niemand vermag zijn roer onklaer houden zoodat daer netten aen zoude
kunnen hechten.” (No one may so hold his rudder as to foul any nets.)
“Die niet en vischt vermag niet onder de visschers te drijven”. (He who
is not fishing may not sail among the fishers.) While it is laid down,
at the same time, that every one should place his name on his nets so
that they can be recognized.
The size of the crew and the armament were also the object of
regulation, which was all the more necessary in those times of war.
[Sidenote: II 196]
A “Noortsvaerder” of 70 to 80 lasts, and a “bush” of more than 24
lasts, ought to carry at least two “gotelingen” (small cannon). These
guns are still to be seen in many old engravings. Nor was bravery
lacking among the fishermen. M. ~De Jonge~ (Vol. I, p. 182) gives
an example of this in relating the meeting of an English craft with
fishermen from Vlieland between the Skagerrack and the Doggersbank:
Scarcely had they come near each other when the English began throwing
stones, for lack of other weapons. The Dutch answered by throwing fire
wood, but this innocent fighting became a bore to the Hollanders. “They
grappled the enemy’s boat, jumped on board of it, carry their knives in
their mouths and, headed by their valiant steersman, Jonge Kees, drove
the English down into the hold, which they nailed up, and returned
triumphantly with their little boat to Amsterdam where a gold medal was
offered to the brave leader and where the crew received the captured
boat and other rewards”.
Our fishing fleet went very much to pieces toward the end of the
XVIIIth and the beginning of the XIXth centuries. Matters became still
worse toward the middle of the latter. If in 1843 there were still 126
fishing boats in existence, this number fell to 93 in 1852. (~Koenen~,
p. 156.) But a revival took place toward the end of the XIXth century
and in 1905 there were again 724 vessels in our fleet. The upward
start began in 1891, as shown in the table given further on. The great
improvement in means of communication increased the demand for fish as
a popular article of food, (See the Inaugural Address of Professor E.
Vosnack at Delft; _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_. October 11, 1906,
first sheet, A.) while more careful packing in ice now allows fish to
be carried to much more distant points.
This is why the cod and haddock fisheries have been taken up here with
renewed ardor (~A. Hoogendijk~, _de Grootvisscherij_, 1895, p. 47) and
the trade has become more lucrative by combining it with the herring
fishery.
The herring fishery requires rather a small boat, as the latter should
not pull too hard on the nets. Winter fishing requires, on the other
hand, a strong fast boat, as it has to be on duty in all weathers.
Hence it follows that, in order to combine both, a new type of boat,
able to satisfy these discordant conditions, has become a necessity and
the old types in use are doomed, naturally, to disappear. The faster
the boat, the greater the number of trips and the fresher the fish
brought back.
Countries which are rich in fish can be visited with fast vessels and
it is not to be wondered at that steamboats should be put into use
in our country, just as in England, after the “loggers” (luggers),
“Kotters” (cutters) and “sloepen” (sloops) which had preceded them. The
first steam fishing craft appeared in 1897, and since then the number
of these vessels has steadily increased.
The English fishing fleet has now not less than 1600 steamboats for
deep sea fishing.
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
|Composition of the Dutch fishing Fleet, exclusive of the Bommen,|
| from 1867 to 1905. |
+-----+-------+------+-----+-----+-------+-----+-----------------+
| | | | | |LOGGER | | |
| | | | | |CUTTERS| | |
|YEARS|HOWKERS|SLOOPS|STEAM|MOTOR| AND |TOTAL| REMARKS |
| | | |BOATS|BOATS|LOGGER-| | |
| | | | | |BOMMEN | | |
+-----+-------+------+-----+-----+-------+-----+-----------------+
| | /----v----\ | | | | | |
|1867 | 85 | - | - | 4 | 89 |The first French |
|1868 | 80 | - | - | 11 | 91 |lugger was put |
|1869 | 79 | - | - | 28 | 107 |into service in |
|1870 | 69 | - | - | 51 | 120 |1867. |
| | \----Λ----/ | | | | | |
|1871 | 45 | 13 | - | - | 64 | 122 | |
|1872 | 30 | 14 | - | - | 64 | 108 | |
|1873 | 23 | 11 | - | - | 68 | 102 | |
|1874 | 20 | 11 | - | - | 83 | 114 | |
|1875 | 14 | 11 | - | - | 90 | 115 | |
|1876 | 6 | 11 | - | - | 92 | 109 | |
|1877 | 8 | 11 | - | - | 94 | 113 | |
|1878 | 7 | 11 | - | - | 109 | 127 | |
|1879 | 4 | 10 | - | - | 114 | 128 | |
|1880 | 3 | 9 | - | - | 121 | 133 | |
|1881 | 2 | 9 | - | - | 127 | 138 | |
|1882 | 2 | 8 | - | - | 135 | 145 | |
|1883 | 2 | 8 | - | - | 144 | 154 | |
|1884 | 2 | 8 | - | - | 159 | 169 | |
|1885 | 2 | 8 | - | - | 174 | 184 | |
|1886 | 1 | 8 | - | - | 181 | 190 | |
|1887 | - | 7 | - | - | 189 | 196 | |
|1888 | - | 8 | - | - | 186 | 194 | |
|1889 | - | 8 | - | - | 186 | 194 | |
|1890 | - | 7 | - | - | 189 | 196 | |
|1891 | - | 7 | - | - | 199 | 206 | |
|1892 | - | 9 | - | - | 212 | 221 | |
|1893 | - | 11 | - | - | 213 | 224 | |
|1894 | - | 13 | - | - | 214 | 227 | |
|1895 | - | 17 | - | - | 216 | 233 | |
|1896 | - | 24 | - | - | 245 | 269 | |
|1897 | - | 30 | 1 | - | 252 | 283 |The first |
|1898 | - | 36 | 1 | - | 258 | 295 |steamboat was put|
|1899 | - | 40 | 2 | - | 269 | 311 |into service in |
|1900 | - | 46 | 3 | - | 275 | 324 |1897. |
|1901 | - | 47 | 7 | 1 | 300 | 355 | |
|1902 | - | 52 | 25 | 1 | 327 | 405 | |
|1903 | - | 58 | 44 | 1 | 410 | 513 | |
|1904 | - | 58 | 44 | 1 | 432 | 535 | |
|1905 | - | 48 | 38 | 1 | 425 | 512 | |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|Summary of the different types of boats in use for the herring|
| fishery from 1896 to 1905 |
+-----+-------+------+-----+-------+------+-----+--------------+
|YEARS|LUGGERS|STEAM-|MOTOR|LOGGER-|BOMMEN|TOTAL| REMARKS |
| |CUTTERS|BOATS |BOATS|BOMMEN | | | |
| |SLOOPS | | | | | | |
+-----+-------+------+-----+-------+------+-----+--------------+
|1896 | 269 | - | - | - | 324 | 593 |See report on |
|1897 | 282 | 1 | - | - | 325 | 608 |maritime |
|1898 | 294 | 1 | - | - | 320 | 615 |fisheries |
|1899 | 309 | 2 | - | - | 303 | 614 |1905 (p.149) |
|1900 | 320 | 3 | - | 1 | 289 | 613 | |
|1901 | 346 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 279 | 634 | |
|1902 | 377 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 271 | 676 | |
|1903 | 463 | 44 | 1 | 5 | 268 | 781 | |
|1904 | 484 | 44 | 1 | 6 | 239 | 774 | |
|1905 | 467 | 38 | 1 | 6 | 212 | 724 | |
Let the “Bush” be taken up again for a few moments before beginning on
the description of the modern types of fishing boats.
The “Bush”, which appeared in the XVth century, remained the boat for
the herring fishery until the middle of the XIXth century, when it
disappeared entirely. If, in 1832, there were still 120 “Buizen” (78
at Vlaardingen, 18 at Maassluis, 1 at Delfshaven, 3 at Zwastewaal, 5
at Enkhuizen, 5 at De Rijp and 10 at Amsterdam, see ~Le Comte~, p.
46), they were, on the other hand, no longer mentioned in 1867, the
year when the French lugger was brought into service. The bush was
used exclusively in fishing for herring. When this latter failed, the
vessels were stripped and laid up. Although their forms were full, they
had a keel and sought safety in the different ports. These boats could
not be grounded. Toward the last they were about 22 metres long, 6
metres wide and 3 metres deep. The dimensions of these boats had also
increased gradually. (~Van Yk~ gives, p. 310, 7 Rhine feet as their
depth.)
The “Bushes” carried originally three masts, of which two could be
lowered and each of which carried a large sail. Later, at the end of
the XVIIth century, the rig was changed and made like that of the
“Howkers”. This change is shown on the old engravings. The “Bushes”
carried a “statie”.