54 THE IMPOVERISHMENT OF THE SEA. 



with 1881), but fell considerably iu the following year, owing to the 

 reduction of the number of steamers engaged in line fishing. 



For a similar reason the average catching power of the sailing liner 

 (tirst class) is assumed to have been four-tifths that of the sailing 

 trawler throughout the decade, although the evidence cited above points 

 rather to a lower coefficient as more strictly correct. 



4. Total Catching Power of Bottom Fishing Boats. 



The total catching power of the first class vessels engaged in catching 

 " bottom fish," as derived from the various sources already discussed, is 

 set forth in Table H (p. 69). Each year of the decade 1889 to 1898 is 

 separately distinguished, and the catching power devoted to the North 

 Sea fisheries is separated from that engaged in the South and West 

 Coast industry. 



The catching power of all vessels, whether trawlers or liners, and 

 whether steamboats or smacks, is there expressed in terms of " smack- 

 units," the various computations for which have already been described. 



For the East Coast the catching power is seen to have increased 

 continuously during the decade, from a power represented by 2,859 

 trawling smacks in 1889 to the power of 7,143 smacks in 1898, the 

 catching power having nearly trebled during the period. 



For the South and West Coasts the power is seen to have doubled 

 during the decade, from the equivalence of 946 smacks in 1889 to that 

 of 1,896 smacks in 1898. But the increase is seen to have been far 

 from uniform, as the rise up to 1892 was followed by a fall during the 

 next two years, to be succeeded by a steady and conspicuous rise to the 

 end of the period. These irregularities are principally due to the 

 invasion of the Western waters by East Coast vessels, both steamers 

 and smacks, about the time of the opening of Milford Docks in 1889. 

 These yearly immigrations fell off to a large extent after a few years, 

 the smacks first of all, on account of their excessive size, and the 

 steamers after 1892. The remarks made in an earlier section (p. 41) 

 as to the figures representing the East Coast steam trawlers in this 

 table should be borne in mind (see also pp. 62-4). 



For the Entire Coasts of England and Wales the catching power 

 is shown to have steadily increased from 3,675 smack-units in 1889 to 

 8,503 units in 1898, the power at the end of the decade being two and 

 a third times that at the beginning. 



5. Average Annual Catch per Unit of Catching Power. 



The results obtained by distributing the total weight of fish landed 

 on the different coasts among the corresponding number of smack-units 

 estimated for each year of the decade are set forth in Table VIII. (p. 34). 



