206 DEEP-SEA FISHING. 



In October in that year the Royal Sea Fisheries Com- 

 missioners held their public inquiry at Brixham into the 

 condition of the trawl and other fisheries carried on 

 from that town, and it was part of our duty" as Secretary 

 to that Commission to seek for evidence on the subject 

 from all classes who were acquainted with it. The 

 conflicting interests of the different kinds of fishermen 

 led to a great deal of contradictory statement on many 

 points ; but it was unanimously agreed that the trawlers 

 had been increasing in size and number for some time, 

 23articularly during the previous seven years. The 

 President of the Fishing Club stated in his evidence 

 that 95 smacks then belonged to Brixham, of which 

 85 regularly fished from that town, and the others did 

 so during part of the year. One hundred and fifty- 

 two vessels were insured by the Club, the only con- 

 dition being that they belonged to Brixham m.en, but 

 57 of those vessels were permanently settled at other 

 ports. 



The Brixham trawlers, which according to Mr. Barry 

 had decreased from 221 to 167 between 1852 and 1863, 

 had really increased from about 70 to 85 during that 

 interval. 



Mr. Barry's belief in the decline of the fisheries at 

 Brixham was confirmed, however, by observing that, 

 at the census of 1861, the population of the town of 

 Brixham had decreased by 1237, or nearly one-fourth, 

 since the census of 1851 ; but startling as this great 

 falling off at first appeared to him, he found a ready 

 explanation of it, and said (page 14): — "Tliis extra- 

 ordinary decrease may be accounted for in a great 

 degree by the diminished number of fishing vessels." 



The census return for 1861, which showed so great a 

 decrease in the town population, gave, however, a slight 



