Chapter 5 (headpiece)

Drop cap, M

III 112

Man has been given to fishing from the most remote times, even though in primitive ways. Hence fishing boats will also be seen to have existed from the earliest times; furthermore, as man thinks of his own maintenance first before dreaming of trade, fishing boats are older than merchant ships and it is perfectly natural to conclude that the latter issue from the former. So, the “Koggenschip” (cog) is nothing but a transformation of what will be called later an “Egmonder Pink” or better, a “Pink” of large size.

As fish were taken at the beginning only for local needs, the fishing boats were small. Distant expeditions were not undertaken, the preservation of fish being unknown in those days. Some old writers even maintain that the herring fishery only appeared at Zierikzee in the XIIth century (in 1163 according to WITSEN, p. 431). Hence it may be said that the beginnings of our ocean fisheries date only from the century mentioned. No great revolution took place until 1384, when Willem Beukelsz of Biervliet invented the salting and barrelling of herrings. This invention caused such a stir that, a hundred years after the death of Willem Beukelszoon, the Emperor Charles V still visited his tomb at Biervliet (1556).

Distant voyages became possible from this moment because the herring could be preserved. The first great herring net was made at Hoorn in 1416, and smooth planking for the boats made its appearance at Zierikzee, the centre of the herring fishery. A relation certainly exists between these two events. The packing of herring gave fishing such a start that a new commerce was the result which, in its turn, brought forth more and more numerous demands requiring a perpected plant.

II 243III 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.

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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.)

II 195II 196II 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 calledGrootschippers(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 agreat 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.

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. DEJONGE(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.

YEARS

HOWKERS

SLOOPS

STEAMBOATS

MOTORBOATS

LOGGERCUTTERSANDLOGGER-BOMMEN

TOTAL

REMARKS

1867

—

The first French lugger was put into service in 1867.

1868

—

1869

—

107

1870

—

120

1871

—

122

1872

—

108

1873

—

102

1874

—

114

1875

—

115

1876

—

109

1877

—

113

1878

—

109

127

1879

—

114

128

1880

—

121

133

1881

—

127

138

1882

—

135

143

1883

—

144

154

1884

—

159

169

1885

—

174

184

1886

—

181

190

1887

—

189

196

1888

—

186

194

1889

—

186

194

1890

—

189

196

1891

—

199

206

1892

—

212

221

1893

—

213

224

1894

—

213

227

1895

—

216

233

1896

—

245

269

1897

—

252

283

The first steamboat was put into service in 1897.

1898

—

258

295

1899

—

269

311

1900

—

275

324

1901

—

300

355

1902

—

327

405

1903

—

410

513

1904

—

432

535

1905

—

425

512

Summary of the different types of boats in use for the herring fishery from 1896 to 1905

YEARS

LUGGERSCUTTERSSLOOPS

STEAMBOATS

MOTORBOATS

LOGGER-BOMMEN

BOMMENBOATS

TOTAL

REMARKS

1896

269

—

324

593

See report on maritime fisheries 1905 (p. 149)

1897

282

—

325

608

1898

294

—

320

615

1899

309

—

303

614

1900

320

—

289

612

1901

346

279

634

1902

377

271

676

1903

463

268

781

1904

484

239

774

1905

467

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 LECOMTE, 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. (VANYKgives, 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”.

The dimensions of the “bushes” must have increased most at the end of the XVIIIth or beginning of the XIXth century; the “statie” was then suppressed and the fish tank appeared. The boats supplied with this tank were calledKweeaccording to HOOGENDIJK(p. 59). The “bush” proper which was used exclusively for the herring fishery, had no fish tank.

The “bush” which had a howker rig was also called aHoekerbuis. What HOOGENDIJKtells about the origin of thehowker, in his interesting book on the “Grootvisscherij”, does not seem to be wholly exact. According to him (p. 59) the “howker” is said to be descended from the “Hoekerbuis” by the suppression of the “statie”. But, according to WITSENand VANYK, the howkers have existed from the earliest times and, hence, long before the appearance of the “Hoekerbuis”.

The “howker” is met with as a contemporary of the “bush” from which it differs quite a good deal in shape; the placing of the “howker” rig on the “bush” proves that the former vessel was already in existence in the time of the latter.

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The “Hoeker” (howker) is a boat strongly rounded at the stern, showing a great deal of sheer and carrying a tank for fish. The name comes very probably from “hoek” an iron (hook) used in fishing for cod and haddock, but as the “bush” is spoken of before any mention is made of the “howker”, it must be concluded that the latter came later into use, that is to say, that cod fishing on a large scale was a much later occupation. The date of adoption of the fish tanks is not known. It is probable that this arrangement is very old, but it is possible that it was only applied much later to deep sea fishing.

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The “howker” was used not only as a fishing boat but also as aHaringjager(herring hunter), a boat which is sent to get the first catch of the fleet.

The “howker” was also used as aBuisconvoyer(convoy for bushes); it was then armed with several guns and intended to defend the “bushes” against the enemy. Various circumstances contributed to the complete disappearance of the “bushes” and the “howkers”; these are the more and more severe demands laid on this traffic, the combination of herring fishing with that for cod and haddock on one and the same boat, the use of cotton nets which are much lighter than the old ones so that casting the nets is less important on the boat itself. All these causes brought about the creation of boats with fine lines, so that there existed, in 1886, but one howker for 8 sloops and 181 luggers. The sloop and the lugger, which followed it came to us from France.

III 119

The “sloop”, having at first one mast with a large boom sail and square stern (HOOGENDIJK, p. 61), was put into use at Middelharnis, Zwarte Waal and Pernis and hence is known generally as aPernissersloep.

The heavy and unhandy rigging of the single mast was soon replaced by the “lugger” rig, while the square stern disappeared from among the more recent sloops, thus doing away with the principal difference between the two types of vessels.

The sloop has a fish tank and is used for carrying live fish, but it can also be employed for the herring fishery if it has a fore-mast which can be unshipped.

The new types of sloops were not favorably received by the public, says HOOGENDIJK(p. 55), especially in regard to the deep sea herring fishery. Their enormous tonnage gave rise to the fear that they would be too heavy for this kind of work. This loading capacity reached 40 lasts while the ordinary load for a herring boat was but 25 to 30 lasts, to say nothing of the many boats which carried scarcely more than 16 to 20 lasts.

This fear, however, was found to be groundless. The more slender shape of the boat gave less hold for the wind than did the old types and so made it superior for purposes of navigation. No one would think now of preferring the old “bushes” and “howkers” to the modern “lugger” and “sloop”.

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The “lugger” is also a boat of slender form and of French origin.

The construction of the boat, which has no fish tank, is made sufficiently clear by the drawings. The rigging includes two masts. The main-mast, at one-third of the length from the bow, can be lowered. The nets are cast from the bow and are taken in over the side.

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The vessels mentioned above are not, however, the only ones used for the herring fisheries. Another very remarkable type still in use is the “Bom”, a descendant of the “Egmonder Pink”. The “Bom”, built so that it can be allowed to ground, has, like the “Pink”, a very strong bottom and clinker built sides. Its length is double its beam. It carries two masts (a large and a small); the rig is fore and aft and long, narrow lee boards (about 1/3 as long as the vessel). The high tide lands the “Bommen” on the beach whence, after they had been raised by jacks and wooden rollers had been placed under them, horses drew them up on a wooden floor laid on the strand.

The creation of the “Bommenhaven” (harbor for “Bommen”) at Scheveningen makes grounding these craft unnecessary and, consequently, will cause them to disappear, because it is more advantageous to use “luggers”. There will be, therefore, no further reason for the existence of the “Bommen” and the port built for their use will cause their extinction.

This port has also led, already, to the construction of a few “Bommen” with keels, calledLoggerbommenorLelybommenwhich are intermediate between the “lugger” and the “Bom”. The first of these “Bommen” was launched in 1900, but it has not been imitated often as it is scarcely better than a “lugger”. It is clinker built and has the bow of the “Bom” with the stern of the “lugger”. The old and interesting “Bom” is no longer built; it will belong soon to history, like the “bush” and the “howker”, and with it will disappear the last vestige of the “cog”. Since 1896, the number of these vessels has been already reduced from 324 to 212.

Strength of the "Bomschuiten" Fleet, 1899 to 1905.

1899

1900

1901

1902

1903

1904

1905

Scheveningen

217

203

194

189

183

158

140

Katwijk

Noordwijk

Egmond

—

Haarlem (Ymuiden)

—

Maassluis

—

Report on oceanfishing, 1905(p. 149).

303

289

279

271

268

239

211

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