BRITISH FISHERIES. XC111 



BRITISH FISHERIES. 



Our fisheries afford employment to various manufacturers, traders, 

 and fishermen, but their immediate uses are variously regarded by different 

 classes, the fishermen chiefly concerning themselves with what they can 

 obtain at the present time, regardless of future years' supply. The public 

 mainly interest themselves in the cost of the article when brought to 

 market, while the Economist bases his conclusions respecting their value in 

 accordance with their reputed produce, or should the supply be unable to 

 meet the demand, he unhesitatingly advocates the use of more destructive 

 agencies under the belief that the sea is inexhaustible, and augmented 

 captures are equivalent to increased productiveness ! But it may be asked, 

 is the sea, if the stock is not artificially replenished, inexhaustible ; is it a fact 

 that what man removes from the ocean is but an infinitesimal quantity to what 

 is consumed by birds and the numerous other enemies of the finny tribes ? 



In order to ascertain if fish are increasing in numbers, decreasing, or 

 whether the supply is stationary, investigations ought to be continuously, 

 systematically and impartially made into the size of those captured (omitting 

 such as pertain to migratory shoals), and if such is augmenting or lessening, also 

 is their condition better or worse than it was ? Should investigations lead to 

 the belief that fisheries are being unduly depleted, it ought to be noted in 

 what families of fish this is occurring, as well as the reputed cause, while 

 in marine forms it is necessary to investigate whether the fishermen have to 

 go further out to sea to obtain their captures than was foi'inerly the case, 

 if the killing power of the nets has been increased, and whether more men 

 are now required to obtain the same amount of fish than was the case a few 

 years previously. If we refer to former times, we find the inshore fisheries 

 were very productive, similar to those of every other country sparsely 

 inhabited by man, but as years went on and the population augmented, an 

 increased supply of fish became a necessity. Man brought into use 

 more killing methods, and in every part of the globe this has been 

 followed by a diminished inshore supply. Almost everywhere we hear 

 of the decline of our inshore fisheries, and the consequent imperative 

 increase in size of our trawlers, and, although the price of fish has largely 

 advanced, they are compelled to go further out to sea to obtain 

 remunerative captures. It appears, unless we disbelieve the evidence from 

 most localities around our coast, that inshore fishing is becoming com- 

 paratively unremunerative, and many assert that this commenced at the 

 same period that trawling became more common, and the regulations for 

 sea-fisheries were abolished. 



