204 DEEP-SEA FISHING. 



the trawling grounds are becoming exhausted ; and 

 considering how much has been written on the subject 

 by persons who were imperfectly acquainted with its 

 merits, it is not surprising that the effects of beam- 

 trawling should have been often misrepresented. We 

 shall only notice, however, two reports on the state of 

 the Brixham fisheries which have been published as 

 official documents, and have therefore some claim to be 

 regarded as authoritative. 



In October, 1852, Mr. J. R. Barry, then Inspecting 

 Commissioner of Irish Sea Fisheries, was deputed by 

 liis colleagues to visit Brixham for the pur^^ose of ascer- 

 taining the condition of its trawl-fishery ; and his 

 report on the subject was published in the Appendix to 

 the Commissioners' general Report for that year. 



In May, 1863, Mr. Barry w\as again sent to Brixham 

 with the same object, and his second report was pub- 

 lished in the same form as the first ; but as in this 

 second report he quotes largely from that for 1852, 

 it will be sufficient if we consider the quotations and 

 statements in the last publication.^ 



At page 11 he says, referring to his report of 1852 : 

 "At that time I stated, 'Lieutenant Hoblyn, R.N., 

 Chief Officer of Coastguards, from whom I received 

 every assistance, states that there are now 221 trawling 

 vessels marked and numbered out of the port, ranging 

 from 25 to 45 tons, all cutter-rigged. They are 

 called sloops, carvel built, and all exclusively beam- 

 trawlers.' " 



Now at the end of 1852, according to the Parlia- 

 mentary Return of British Shipping, there were only 

 172 sailing vessels of 50 tons and under on the register 



^ llciwrt of the Dcep-Sea and Coast Fishtry Commissioners, Ireland, for 

 1863, Aiipcmlix, pp. 11-14. 



