THE IMPOVERISHMENT OF THE SEA. 29 



rather higher averages than mine when worked out in the same way, 

 the averages from 1886 to 1892 being 86, 84, 89, 75, 70, 65, and 66 

 respectively. From information received from the Eailway Company, 

 however, it would appear that Mr. Alward's figures representing the 

 tonnage of the Grimsby fish traffic have not in all cases been subjected 

 to the full deductions of fish exported to the Continent. 



The quantity of fish exported to the Continent from Grimsby was 

 uniformly about 4,000 tons annually from 1886 to 1892, after which 

 year it regularly increased, being 5,000 tons in 1894, 8,000 tons in 

 189G, and over 10,000 tons in 1899. Nevertheless, even if this class 

 of fish should also be attributed to the Grimsby fisheries, the fall in the 

 average catch is equally apparent, being 83 tons for 1886, 70 tons 

 for 1892, and 65 tons for 1899. 



Moreover, the fall in the average catches cannot be attributed to 

 any marked diversion to London during the later years of fish from 

 Grimsby vessels which landed their catches at the home port in the 

 earlier years of the period ; for the proportion of sea-borne to rail-borne 

 fish in the London markets has decreased appreciably since 1888, 

 whether the calculation be based on the returns of the Fishmongers' 

 Company (37 per cent, to 32 per cent.) or on those of the Board of 

 Trade (33 per cent, to 29 per cent.). (Cf. Statistical I'alles and 

 Memorandum for 1891, p. 7 : " The inference would be that there is 

 a tendency to bring fish to London from distant parts by rail, instead 

 of bringing them direct from the fishing grounds by sea. It seems 

 highly probable that this is not merely a temporary change, but is 

 one of a permanent character.") 



III. The Lowestoft Trawl Fishery, 1883-98. 



By the kindness of the Great Eastern Eailway Company I am able 

 to bring up to a more recent date the statistics of the Lowestoft trawl 

 fishery which were submitted to the Select Committee in 1893 by 

 Mr. Hame {Minutes, pp. 67-75). As stated by Mr. Hame in his 

 evidence before the Committee, the Eailway Company owns the fish 

 docks, and receives a small toll for every package, of fish landed. 

 Consequently the returns of fish landed at the docks, as supplied by 

 the Eailway Company, possess an unusual degree of accuracy. A 

 record is also kept by the Company of the number of trawling vessels 

 which land their fish at Lowestoft ; and although there is an inaccuracy 

 here caused by the want of discrimination between vessels which 

 regularly land their fish at Lowestoft and those (mostly hailing from 

 Eamsgate and French ports) which only do so from time to time, 

 it nevertheless seems possible to obtain a rough idea of the progress of 

 the fishery by comparing the totals of fish landed by the trawlers with 

 the gross number of trawling vessels from year to year. 



