30 



THE IMPOVERISHMENT OF THE SEA. 



The trawled fish landed at the port are classified by the Railway 

 Company under Cod, Prime, and Offal. The returns of cod are given 

 in " scores," those of prime and offal in " packages." Mr. Hame, in his 

 evidence, treated the average weight of each package as about one 

 hundredweight, and 1 am informed by the Dock Superintendent that 

 this estimate is approximately correct ; but there is no need to enter 

 into this question for my present purpose, as the number of packages 

 affords a sutficient index for comparing the condition of the fishery 

 in successive years. 



In the following table the returns of fish landed and of the fishing 

 vessels prior to 1893 are copied from Mr. Hame's figures as published 

 in the Minutes of the Select Committee. Those from 1893 onwards 

 have been supplied to me directly by the Eailway Company. 



On recalculating the averages per vessel for the first period my 

 results in three cases do not quite coincide with Mr. Hame's, probably 

 as a result of printer's errors. For 1892 the error in Mr. Hame's table 

 is undoubtedly in the averages, since the accuracy of the figures repre- 

 senting the total returns of fish landed in that year has been confirmed 

 for me by the Railway Company. Consequently I have provided a new 

 series of averages, marking with an asterisk those figures which differ 

 by more than two units from the figures published by the Select Com- 

 mittee, which are placed in brackets alongside. The smaller quantities 

 of cod-fish have not been averaged, for obvious reasons. 



Table VII., shoiving the Condition of the Lou-csfoft Traui Fishery from 

 1883 to 1898 {from Betnrns provided by the Great Eastern Railway 

 Company.) 



Total Packafjes Landed. 



Average No. per Vessel. 



