ON THE CHANNEL-FISHERIES. 101 



And whereas the said recited statute is so much 

 disregarded and set at nought, as if no such law 

 existed, either from the difficulty of proving of- 

 fences committed under the same, or other causes, 

 the trawl fishermen using nets of a mesh so small 

 as to destroy innumerable quantities of fry and 

 unsizeable fish, which are either consumed by such 

 fishermen for their own private use, as not being 

 saleable ; or thrown into the sea as altogether use- 

 less, instead of fishing with nets of a mesh of three 

 inches and half, according to the directions of the 

 said last recited act, which would enable the 

 small and unsizeable fish to escape unhurt. Be it 

 therefore enacted, &c, in addition to the said last 

 recited act, that if any person or persons shall 

 wilfully take, kill, or destroy, at any time or place 

 whatever, any of the before named fish under the 

 size before mentioned, with any net whatsoever, 

 and shall not throw back into the sea again all and 

 every such unsizeable fish which may be acci- 

 dentally or unavoidably taken, he, she, or they, 

 shall forfeit or pay the sum of 51. for every time 

 such net shall be drawn, either on shore or on 

 board such vessel. And be it further enacted, that 



and as far as possible from catching them, — and if the use of 

 the legal net were enforced/it is not likely that many unsizeable 

 fish would be taken. As it is not possible for the motions and 

 actions of these trawlers to be watched when at sea, there is no 

 rational way of preventing it, than by seeing that they possess 

 no unlawful nets, and making their vessels subject to search 

 and seizure. 



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