If a glance be cast over the Report on the Netherlands Ocean Fishery for 1905, it will be seen that, in this year (p. 342), the fleet contained in all 5334 vessels with a total tonnage of 234,766 tons and a total of 20,141 men in the crews. These figures for 1891 were, respectively: 4427, 164,357 and 15,482.
| Situation of the Netherlands Fishing Fleet and of its Crews. | |||
| YEAR | NUMBER OF VESSELS | TOTAL TONNAGE | CREWS |
| 1905 | 5334 | 234766 | 20141 |
| 1904 | 5781 | 215873 | 21228 |
| 1903 | 5922 | 218249 | 21467 |
| 1902 | 5938 | 215660 | 21225 |
| 1901 | 5851 | 199248 | 20164 |
| 1900 | 5719 | 195950 | 19498 |
| 1899 | 5661 | 191530 | 19232 |
| 1898 | 5385 | 186554 | 18709 |
| 1897 | 5318 | 184576 | 18387 |
| 1896 | 5211 | 181953 | 17895 |
| 1895 | 5189 | 179782 | 17643 |
| 1894 | 5151 | 176649 | 17286 |
| 1893 | 4902 | 172603 | 16700 |
| 1892 | 4647 | 167549 | 16142 |
| 1891 | 4427 | 164357 | 15482 |
The small fishing boats work on the North Sea, along the shores of Friesland and Groningen, on the maritime rivers of Zeeland and of the province of Holland as well as on the Zuiderzee.
All sorts of names of fishing boats are found among them, so that it is very difficult to determine from this point the places whence they come. Then too, these boats have become so numerous in our country during the last fifty years, that the presence of a given type at any place is no proof at all that it had its origin at that place. Thus, for example, “Schokkers” and “Botters” are now to be found on the Upper Meuse where not one of them was ever built. Just so soon as fishing becomes flourishing, there are brought into use all sorts of boats which were never intended originally for any such purpose. In order to form an exact idea of fishing boats and their evolution, only such vessels as were built especially for this use should be considered.
As was said in the general classification, these boats can be divided into principal orders as follows: a) the group of the “Schokkers”; b) that of the “Botters”; c) bluff bowed boats (“Knots”, “Akes”, etc).
THE “SCHOKKER”.
This boat has a long, fine bow; the stern, on the other hand, is narrow. The hull above the bends falls in sharply. The stem is straight and very much inclined. At the square upper end of the stem is a sheave, one side of which rests on the stem and the other side on a bracket (the “snoes”) which is made firm to the stem. The boat carries a fish tank and has near the bow a cuddy which serves as a lodging. Although the “Schokkers” were originally open at the middle, some are to be found at the present time of larger size and closed. The “Schokker” has at the bow a small deck, called “kootje”.
The “Schokker” carries lee boards and a mast placed at four fifths of the length of the vessel, at the position of the main frame. It is 26.10 m. long, 4.48 m. beam and draws 0.98 m. It is fore and aft rigged (“bazaantuig”) with a short, curved boom and a large fore staysail which is attached to the side abaft the mast, consequently without any travelling bar. This latter is sometimes to be found, however, in these latter times. A jib may be set on the bowsprit. The hull was clinker built formerly, now it is frequently carvel built. It is a very old type of vessel, but the large models only date; however, from the XIXth century. Neither WITSEN nor VAN YK speaks of them, although they were already in existence in their time, for drawings of them appear on the stretchers of the reformed church at Workum which dates from about 1600.