46 THE IMPOVERISHMENT OF THE SEA. 



by the steamers in adjacent years is remarkably uniform. Side by side 

 with these averages I have placed in the same table the average catches 

 of the four sailing trawlers for the same term of years, and it can thus 

 be seen that during the period 1883-5 the steam trawler caught 

 close upon four times as much fish in a year as the sailing trawler. 

 The relative efficiency of the steamer is seen to vary as regards the 

 different items brought up in the trawl — a variation which is apparently 

 determined, to a large extent, by the natural distribution of fish in the 

 North Sea. Thus the steamer caught two and a half times as much 

 plaice as the smack, from four to five times as much haddock, about the 

 same quantity of prime fish, and from seven to eight times as much 

 rough fish. Leaving out the latter item, the steamer's great efficiency 

 as regards haddock would appear to be due to the greater abundance 

 of this fish in the more distant grounds to the northward ; its moderate 

 efficiency as regards plaice to the more uniform distribution of this 

 fish over the whole basin of the North Sea; and its small efficiency 

 as regards turbot, sole, and brill to the southern and shallow water 

 proclivities of these latter types of fish. That is to say, the steamer's 

 efficiency increases in proportion to the distance from the port of 

 landing of the grounds on which the different species live in greatest 

 abundance. 



But it is well known that since 1885 the relative catching powers of 

 steam and sailing trawlers have diverged to a still greater extent, for, 

 whereas the rig and fishing gear of the smacks have remained practically 

 stationary, the steamers have been subject to continuous improvements 

 as regards speed, storage capacity, tonnage, and size of trawl. The 

 improvements under the latter head culminated in 1895 in the adapta- 

 tion and general use of the otter trawl in place of the beam trawl. 

 Consequently if the relative efficiency of steamers to smacks was four- 

 fold in 1885 it must have become distinctly greater than that by 1893, 

 and has undoubtedly increased since then. The increased efficiency due 

 to the adoption of the otter trawl can be determined with precision (see 

 Tables XI., XII.), and exceeds 30 per cent, on the gross catches, but the 

 data on which I depend for measuring the improvement due to other 

 causes are necessarily somewhat indirect. To directly compare the 

 average catches of steamers in 1885 with the catches in 1894, and to 

 conclude that the difference is a measure of the changes wrought in 

 efficiency during the interim, would be to beg the question at issue, and 

 to assume that the abundance of fish on the grounds has not changed. 

 In view of the evidence afforded by the catches of Mr. Knott's and 

 Mr. Alward's smacks, this position cannot be assumed as a basis for 

 calculations. The question could be decided most conclusively by 

 comparing the catches of Grimsby steamers in 1893 and 1894 with the 



