THE IMPOVERISHMENT OF THE SEA. 41 



Plymouth . 

 MilforJ 

 Fleetwood . 



Total . . 2 2 4 12 12 12 18 32 60 70 

 Differe7ice. 

 East Coast visitors . . 26 41 40 70 62 48 62 70 68 67 



It is probable that by this method the number of visitors has been 

 exaggerated, as a certain number of the steamers were no doubt included 

 by the collectors in their returns for more than one port. Moreover, 

 the East Coast steamers do not invariably spend more than a portion of 

 the year in the Western waters, so that for strict accuracy a suitable 

 deduction should be made under this head. In the absence at present 

 of satisfactory information on those points, however, I have provision- 

 ally retained the gross numbers given above as the basis of my calcula- 

 tions, reserving to the sequel the consideration of the extent of the 

 error thereby introduced. 



The allowance thus made to cover the North Sea immigrants has only 

 been added to the numbers of registered steamers on the South and West 

 Coasts. Strictly speaking, a corresponding deduction should be made 

 from the registered total for the East Coast steamers, but this has not 

 been done. The difference in treatment is due to the fact that, what- 

 ever the exact number of these East Coast immigrants in successive 

 years, they clearly formed a large percentage of the total number of 

 steamers fishing off the Western Coasts (see Table H, p. 69), whereas 

 their deduction from the totals for the East Coast would make no 

 difference in the general result beyond causing a slight and practically 

 uniform increase in the average catches throughout the period. 



The numbers of the East Coast sailing trawlers working from tlie 

 ports mentioned above and from Holyhead have been determined after 

 careful study of the information given in the Annual Eeports of the 

 Inspectors of Sea Fisheries and the collectors' returns, and after 

 correspondence with the harbourmasters of Milford and Holyhead. 

 " When these [the Milford] Docks were first opened (in 1889) a large 

 number of Hull vessels, both steam and sail, landed their fish here 

 in addition to many Brixham smacks. The Hull smacks, proving some- 

 what large and expensive for the short voyages made on this coast, were 

 gradually withdrawn, but most of the steamers continued fishing here 

 until the end of 1893. The nucleus of a local fleet of steamers formed 

 in the interval, and this fleet has gradually been increased to its present 

 size. The steamers here at present are all owned by firms whose head- 

 quarters are here, and very few of them fished out of other ports 



