119 



hardly undertake ; our duty consists in demonstrating 

 the utility of, perhaps the necessity for, the practice, and 

 this can be done by experimental work with such boats 

 as may be available. 



I shall therefore eventually have to propose a power 

 boat as a necessary part of our equipment, the boat being" 

 attached to the station but sent on rovino- commissions. 



44. It will be seen that all proposals are directed to 

 increasing the catches, to improving the quantity as well 

 as the quality of the sea harvest, and that no word has 

 been said regarding restrictions. My reason is this ; 

 that, probably, much less than one-twentieth part even 

 of our limited grounds, is fully worked, and that efforts 

 are consequently to be directed not indeed to increasing- 

 inshore catches, but to exploiting the real deep-sea 

 grounds ; those, for instance, beyond 10 or 15 fa,thoms ; 

 it is not yet the time for restrictivOn, nor is enough known 

 either of the exact nature of the catches inshore (i.e., 

 within the 3-mile limit where restrictive rules would, if 

 anywhere, chiefly be possible) or of the habits of the fish, 

 to lay down even the simplest restrictive rule ; that must 

 be the work of a department, and one branch of the 

 Experimental station's work will be observational, viz., 

 to ascertain by a zoological scientist the character and 

 seasons of inshore seine catches — which are known to be 

 fearfully destructive of very immature fish life- — and, 

 generally, the habits of the fish. Hence I propose to 

 attach a zoological assistant to stations (and elsewhere) 

 in order that we may obtain facts for subsequent action 

 if necessary. 



45. But in one matter restriction is desirable, viz., 

 that the new classes of sailers or power boats other than 

 carriers shall fish outside the 3-mile limit. The principle 

 which I have urged throughout is that of non-inter- 

 ference with existing catching methods ; merely the 

 introduction of superior and more powerful boats and 

 methods to supplement, not to oust, the catamaran and 

 canoe, by going into areas and depths where the latter 

 are useless or impossible. The inshore waters are very 

 sufficiently fished by shore seines, by nets and hooks 

 and lines of many sorts ; I desire merely the exploitation 

 of deep-sea areas ; the raiso7i deti'-e of new boats and 

 methods is deep-sea fishing. I would therefore prescribe 

 a rule which my own boats will observe, that the new 



