FISHING STATIONS— IRELAND. 359 



January many of tlie smacks go to the coast of Water- 

 ford and fisli on what is called the Saltee ground, a very 

 productive patch about south-west from the Saltee light- 

 ship. 



Trawling has been a fertile source of trouble to the 

 Irish Commissioners for many years past, and theii 

 souls have been vexed by repeated complaints from line 

 fishermen and others, who alleged that their interests 

 were being ruined by the trawlers in the bays on many 

 parts of the coast. Inquiry after inquiry has been held 

 in the localities where the complaints have been made, 

 with the result of byelaws being enacted, altered or 

 repealed in connection with the exclusion of the trawlers 

 from particular parts in which they were said to de- 

 stroy the spawn of fish, or interfere with the operations 

 of other kinds of fishermen. As there is no reason for 

 believing that the Commissioners in former years were 

 better acquainted with the spawning habits of the 

 various edible fishes than people are at the present time 

 — and the extent of knowledge on the subject is now 

 extremely limited — we must conclude that the restric- 

 tions they imposed were of a tentative character, and 

 for the sake of keeping peace among the fishermen 

 rather than based on any real expectation of increase in 

 the supply of fish. Trawling is still prohibited within 

 the headlands from Ardglass, opposite the Isle of Man, 

 to the southern point of Dublin Bay ; but the advan- 

 tage of this restriction, except in soothing the irritable 

 feelings of the line fishermen, has yet to be proved. 

 The objections made to trawling, however, have not 

 been in all cases so much against the system as to the 

 large smacks which are engaged in that kind of fishing. 

 And some of the difficulties have arisen from the local 

 fishermen not having been able to enjoy an exclusive 



