| Composition of the Dutch fishing Fleet, exclusive of the Bommen, from 1867 to 1905. | |||||||
| YEARS | HOWKERS | SLOOPS | STEAM | MOTOR | LOGGER | TOTAL | REMARKS |
 | |||||||
| 1867 | 85 | — | — | 4 | 89 | The first French lugger was put into service in 1867. | |
| 1868 | 80 | — | — | 11 | 91 | ||
| 1869 | 79 | — | — | 28 | 107 | ||
| 1870 | 69 | — | — | 51 | 120 | ||
 | |||||||
| 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 | 143 | |
| 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 | — | — | 213 | 227 | |
| 1895 | — | 17 | — | — | 216 | 233 | |
| 1896 | — | 24 | — | — | 245 | 269 | |
| 1897 | — | 30 | 1 | — | 252 | 283 | The first steamboat was put into service in 1897. |
| 1898 | — | 36 | 1 | — | 258 | 295 | |
| 1899 | — | 40 | 2 | — | 269 | 311 | |
| 1900 | — | 46 | 3 | — | 275 | 324 | |
| 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 |
| 1896 | 269 | — | — | — | 324 | 593 | See report on maritime fisheries 1905 (p. 149) |
| 1897 | 282 | 1 | — | — | 325 | 608 | |
| 1898 | 294 | 1 | — | — | 320 | 615 | |
| 1899 | 309 | 2 | — | — | 303 | 614 | |
| 1900 | 320 | 3 | — | 1 | 289 | 612 | |
| 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”.
THE “KWEE” AND THE “HOEKERBUIS”.
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 called Kwee according 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 a Hoekerbuis. What HOOGENDIJK tells about the origin of the howker, 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 WITSEN and VAN YK, 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.