The fisheries exhibition in Scarboprough in 1895
At one time Scarborough was an important port. Just recently there has been talk of the harbour closing down due to lack of business. The fishing quotas have hit the port badly. In 2009 the Whiting quota was already used up by April. In such times it would almost shock people to find out that Scarborough was once a major port. In fact in 1895 it was, for a time, the center of the industry. John Woodall Woodall set up a fisheries exhibition which made Scarborough the center of the fishing industry.
Fishing was largely a unregulated industry in 1895. For years fishermen harvested the sea and put nothing back. There seemed an endless supply of fish. Many fishermen were aware of the harm that trawling did in destroying young fish. Yet really any solution had to come from above. Fishermen were not capable of regulating themselves. The Government was just content to leave the fishermen alone as long as the industry was prosperous.
John Woodall was not particularly remarkable in his own views. He strongly believed in new technology and especially in using science. He recognised the industry was taking fish out of the sea at a rate that was not sustainable. He believed that the industry would benefit from scientific breeding programmes.
He supported the work of the late Frank Buckland. He showed how the fish of the sea were not as numerous as they once were. The fishing industry was a huge one with the annual catch being £4,981,960. The ports of Shields, Scarborough, Hull, Grimsby, Boston, Yarmouth and Lowestoft took over £3 million. Clearly the North Sea was a profitable place to catch fish.
The majority of fish caught from the North Sea were in English vessels so it would made sense to support scientific breeding programmes. The Exhibition showed the work of Captain Dunevig in Norway. He had hatched out millions of codfish. The Norwegian fishing industry had benefited from a noticable increase in fish. Similar experiments had been tried in Newfoundland and in America. There was no reason why they should not work here.
Trawling was clearly to blame for much of the reductions in fish stocks. Trawlers picked up immature fish which were frequently thrown overboard. They were shovelled over dead. The best way to overcome this was through scientific breeding programmes.
Woodall was a keen believer in fishing exhibitions. He attended the first Exhibition at Norwich in 1881. He was a judge at the Paris Exhibitionin 1893. Norway has exhibitions of these all the time. They helped disseminate new ideas and technology. He was the Vice Chairman of the North East Fisheries.
The Exhibition would be of great benefit to the port of Scarborough. It was not as big as Grimsby or Hull but clearly for its size its fishing industry was remarkably healthy.
The Hall was huge and could hold 6000 people. The cost of the building was £5000 excluding the internal fittings. The architect was J Caleb Petch.
One feature of the Exhibition was the "Living Picture Show". This was a comprehensive collection of fresh water fish and aquatic birds.
The hall was used by private firms to show off new boats, nets and rods. Local fishermen got involved too. Mr Lewis Plummer of Quay Street showed off an improved lobster pot or crab pot. Mr S Sheader of Quay Street and Richard Donkin both showed models of boats. Mr William Cappleman of West Sandgate showed off a model of the Queensbury - the Lifeboat. Thomas Pyke of Longwestgate showed off a self righting lifeboat used for transporting fish to carriers. A 3 foot model of a coble came from Filey. Artists too, showed off their work - Mr Phillips showed his painting of a Smack hauling in its catch of silvery herrings. The Shipwrecked Mariners Association showed off a combined collection box and barometer. The more contributions the better the weather!
The Exhibition itself was opened at the start of the summer in 1895. It was opened by a man of great fame - Lieutenant General Sir Evelyn Wood. He was a war hero - who won not one but two Victoria Crosses! He was a veteran of the Crimean war, Zulu war, Boer war, and Egyptian war. He was surrounded by other dignitaries such as the Mayor of Scarborough - Alderman Fowler.
50-60 dignitaries accepted Woodall's offer of dinner at the Royal Hotel. They then attended the opening.
Woodall and the managers realised that a pill is always better sugared. Concerts and other forms of entertainment drew people in.
The talented Ladies Naval Orchestra was a major attraction. There were recitals by Emilie Ornstein. Mr Banks was a favoured drawing room entertainer with witty musical recitals. All these ammusements were free. Woodall was a man of vision but he realised the need to draw people to the venue.
OTHER ARTICLES
• A sea shanty about a storm on the Scarborough coast
• The history of the Scarborough fishing industry
• Scarboroughs sea fisheries exhibition - John Woodall
• The history of the herring fishing in the North Sea
• The new way of catching caller herrin
• The port of Scarborough in the late 15th Century
• Trawling During WW2 around scarborough and the North - East coast
• The Allen and Truman Scarborough fishing families
• The Beam trawl and the Otter trawl
• Sustainable fishing - quotas and a way of life
• The U-Boat campaign in the First World War
• Theakston's guide to the Scarborough fisheries 1866
• Filey and the gales of 1860,1867,1869 AND 1880
• Tunny fishing in Scarborough in the 1930's
• Coastal erosion in the 19th Century around the North Bay and Scarborough Castle area
• The early years of the Scarborough Lifeboat
• Watching for ships by the harbour walls in Scarborough
• Trawling and overfishing - Filey fishing
• The 200 year history of scarboroughs RNLI
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