42 THE IMPOVERISHMENT OF THE SEA. 



previous to their arrival here" (J. C. Ward, Manager of the Milford 

 Docks Company, February, 1900). In 1899, during the principal 

 season (February 1st to June 30th), the fleet of smacks working from 

 Milford consisted of 206 vessels, composed as follows : Brixham vessels, 

 142 ; Lowestoft, 25 ; Eamsgate, 12 ; various, 27. 



As regards Holyhead, the trawlers landing fish at the present time 

 appear to hail principally from Douglas and Liverpool, a small number, 

 however, belonging to Fleetwood, Carnarvon, and Grimsby. During the 

 year from jMarch, 1899, to February, 1900, fourteen trawlers, on twenty- 

 three voyages, were boarded by the boats of the Queen's Harbour- 

 master. Two only were East Coast (Grimsby) vessels, five hailing 

 from Douglas, five from Liverpool, and one each from Fleetwood and 

 Carnarvon. These figures, however, merely serve to convey an idea of 

 the proportion of boats from various ports, as the majority of fishing- 

 vessels are never boarded by the Harbourmaster's officers. The Grimsby 

 vessels were each boarded on one occasion only ; the Douglas, Liverpool, 

 and Fleetwood boats usually twice. This tends to show that the 

 Grimsby vessels were not using the port so frequently as the Lancashire 

 and Manx trawlers, and were possibly there for only a portion of the 

 year. Their " voyages " both occurred in February, 1900. 



For Plymouth the number of East Coast trawlers fishing from the 

 port in 1898 is stated by the collector of fishery statistics (Eeport of 

 Inspectors, p. 165) to have been sixteen, i.e. twelve from Lowestoft 

 and four from Eamsgate. These boats, however, do not use the port 

 for more than a short period in the spring (February and March), so 

 that it is probable that a majority of the same boats reappear later on 

 at Milford, and are included in the estimates for that port. I have 

 therefore taken the number of Lowestoft and Eamsgate trawlers known 

 to have frequented the harbour of Milford in 1899 as representing 

 approximately the total number of East Coast smacks fishing in the 

 Western waters generally during the preceding year. The figures for 

 the previous years are rough estimates, culminating in this number and 

 determined in correspondence with the principal features known to 

 have characterised these immigrations of East Coast trawlers, viz. the 

 original invasion of Hull trawlers in 1889 and 1890, the subsequent 

 falling off, and the ultimate increase of the smaller class of vessel from 

 Lowestoft and Eamsgate (Table E). In selecting the figures, I have 

 been also influenced to some extent by the fluctuations in the numbers 

 of vessels estimated by the collector of fishery statistics at Milford, the 

 general features of which have been corroborated by the harbourmaster 

 at that port* Owing, however, to the fact that these vessels usually 



• I am informed by the Harbourmaster of Ramsgate that about twenty Ramsgate 

 trawlers were fishing in the Bristol Channel during the spring of 1900, and weie already 

 returning home in the middle of May. A certain number, however, always work off the 

 Sussex Coast in the summer, landing their fish daily at Brighton or Hastings. 



