LINXEAX SOCIETY OF LOXDOIS'. 25 



Lowestoft, Port Erin, Liverpool, Cullercoats, and possibly others — 

 should be utilised either wholly or in part, either continuously or 

 from time to time as may be found necessary. The men and the 

 materials, the organisations and the institutions, are all in existence, 

 they only require to be co-ordinated and subsidised to constitute 

 an efficient National scheme embracing all parts of the coast. 



How, then, are they to be co-ordinated ? These various bodies 

 are so independent and well-established that the only possible basis 

 of co-ordination is adequate representation on the controlling board. 

 The Ichthyological Research Committee recommended the forma- 

 tion of a representative " Fishery Council for England,"' and after 

 five years' further discussion of the matter I am still of opinion 

 that such a body is the only possible solution of the problem. 

 The head officials of the G-overnment Department would form a 

 nucleus round which would be grouped representatives of marine 

 laboratories and coastal authorities, meeting periodically at head- 

 quarters for consultation as to the allotment of subsidies, the 

 delegation and subdivision of work, the co-ordination of observa- 

 tions, and the formulation of results. I would submit that it is 

 eminently desirable that membership of this Fishery Council should 

 be Honorary, and that no member should himself receive salary or 

 grant for work done under the auspices of the Council. Members 

 of such a Council must be absolutely independent and should have 

 no vested interests. 



Some other details which may still be applicable ^^ill be found 

 in the blue-book I have referred to, many other points will no 

 doubt have to be arranged by an organising Committee of experts, 

 but I feel confident that it is only some such scheme as this that 

 will unite our independent authorities, satisfy conflicting interests, 

 and end the present state of chaos. 



In addition to the organisation of Sea-Fisheries research there 

 is, however, the still more fundamental question as to agreement 

 in the methods of investigation ; and 1 have recently become 

 deeply impressed with the necessity of investigating our methods 

 before we investigate nature. At the time of the Ichthyological 

 Research Committee and the commencement of the International 

 North Sea work, I was one of those who held that the proposed 

 observations were far too distant in time and space to yield 

 reliable conclusions ; and I think it may be claimed that the 

 course of events since, and the diff'erences of opinion now existing 

 amongst experts as to the value of the results obtained, have 

 justified our opinion. Before taking gatherings of marine 

 organisms almost haphazard, and then proceeding to regard them 

 as samples of large areas, we must find out what our gatherings 

 really represent and what relation they bear to fair '• samples," 

 also how these samples vary with changes in time, place, wind, 

 depth, and other conditions — and all this can only be determined, 

 I believe, by the intensive study of very hmited areas ituder various 

 conditions. 



