THE IMPOVERISHMENT OF THE SEA. 31 



The averages per vessel indicate a distinct falling off in the quantities 

 of prime fish landed by each vessel and a rise in the quantities of offal, 

 though the fall in prime fish occurs throughout the period, while the 

 rise in offal is limited to the earlier years. These features can best 

 be seen by averaging the returns per vessel for longer (quinquennial) 

 periods, a method which eliminates the minor fluctuations, thus : — 



1883-88 

 1889-93 

 1894-98 



So far as the official figures go, therefore, the Lowestoft trawl fishery 

 is declining as well as the fisheries further north. It should be remem- 

 bered that the trawling grounds of the Lowestoft smacks are mostly in 

 shallower water than those of the Hull and Grimsby vessels, and are 

 bounded approximately by the parallels 51°-30 and 5o°-30, being alto- 

 gether south of the Dogger and south and west of Heligoland (Select 

 Committee, 1893, §§ 1,538, 1,539, 1,034, 1,639; also first Eeport of 

 the Inspectors of Sea Fisheries, p. 14). 



On the other hand, the inclusion of temporary visitors in the list of 

 vessels working from the port has the effect of depressing the estimated 

 averages below the true values, and in particular years this source of 

 error may attain exceptional dimensions, e.g. 1892 (cf. the actual average 

 of an exclusively local fleet of that year, cited below, p. 45). Conse- 

 quently the evidence afforded by these returns should be treated 

 cautiously, and no undue importance should be attached to the averages 

 deduced from them for isolated years. 



IV. The Entire Bottom Fisheries of England and Wales during 

 the decade 1889-98. 



In this section I propose to compare the total quantities of "bottom 

 fish " landed annually on the English coasts with the total number and 

 catching power of the deep-sea trawlers and liners for each year of the 

 decade, separating the fisheries prosecuted by the East Coast vessels in 

 the North Sea from the fisheries carried on in the English and Bristol 

 Channels and other Western waters. 



1. Statistics of Bottom Fish. 



The method adopted for determining the quantity of bottom fish 

 annually landed is the same as that used by my predecessor, Mr. 

 Cunningham, as described in his paper on " The Immature Fish Ques- 

 tion" in this Journal (vol. iii. p. 54). The Board of Trade's returns 

 in their annual Statistical Talks and Memorandum have been taken 



