INTRODUCTORY. 21 



coast ; and we need only say now that as every registered 

 boat will require an annual endorsement of her certifi- 

 cate, each new boat, or old one on change of owner, a 

 new registration, and that notice must be given by the 

 fishermen of every boat sold, lost, or broken up, the 

 difficulties which now exist in obtaining precise annual 

 returns are not likely to diminish. They do not pre- 

 sent themselves, however, so much on the thickly popu- 

 lated English coast as in many of the thinly inhabited 

 parts of Scotland and Ireland, where the machinery for 

 enfoi'cing the regulations is less easily worked. Of the 

 manner in which fishing boats are classified we shall 

 only here observe that it is very complicated ; and that 

 when boats of the same size are placed in different 

 classes according to whether they do or do not some- 

 times carry a sail — when craft ranging from 15 tons to 

 70 tons and upwards are all grouped together, and no 

 distinction whatever is made between the boats en- 

 gaged in the different methods of fishing, the returns 

 must be practically useless for giving (as we presume 

 was intended) any definite means of judging of the 

 condition of our sea fisheries. 



The evidence obtained, however, by the Royal 

 Commissioners showed distinctly that for many years 

 previous to their inquiry, there had been a gradual 

 increase in the number of fishing boats at most places- 

 along the coast ; and since the date of their Report, the 

 improvement in this respect has been of a most decided 

 character at some of the large stations. The trawlers, 

 by adding largely to their fleet, spending more money 

 on their vessels, and bringing in a steady supply of fish, 

 have disappointed those who, in 18G3-4, predicted their 

 speedy ruin ; the drift fishermen are not in a less thriv- 

 ing condition than they used to be, and their boats have 



