THE IMPOVERISHMENT OF THE SEA. 57 



first few years is followed by an increase in 1893 and 1894, which is 

 again succeeded by a continuous fall until the last year of the decade, 

 which is marked by a moderate increase. The figures, therefore, appear 

 to show, on the whole, that the abundance of fish on the grounds is 

 slightly decreasing, though subject to temporary increases under the in- 

 fluence of particularly favourable seasons.* (N.B. — See below, pp. 62-4.) 

 The average catches for all coasts together naturally display the same 

 predominant features as the East Coast fisheries, though the catches are 

 lower than those for the East Coast alone for all except the last years of 

 the decade in consequence of the depressing effect of the inclusion of 

 the figures for the South and West Coasts. 



6. Eeconsideration of the Methods and Eesults. 



As this is the first detailed attempt which has been made to present 

 a statistical review of the condition of the English trawl fisheries, and 

 as the basis upon which it depends has necessarily been of a limited 

 character, there can be no doubt that in various details my computations 

 need correction and modification. If more authentic lists of the 

 different kinds of fishing boat were available, if the products of the 

 trawl and line fisheries were distinguished in the fishery statistics, and 

 if smack-owners from a larger number of centres would co-operate by 

 providing information as to the actual annual catches of their vessels on 

 different grounds, I believe the method which has been followed in the 

 present essay could be relied upon to provide unquestionable evidence 

 concerning the condition of the fishing grounds. The whole question of 

 fishery statistics is now, I understand, under consideration by the Board 

 of Trade. We may therefore reasonably expect that more exact in- 

 formation will in due course be provided as to the numbers and size of 

 the vessels engaged in the different fisheries, and that the reiterated 

 demand for a separation of the products of the different fisheries in the 

 Board's annual statements will receive the attention it deserves. Of the 

 willingness of the smack-owners to co-operate when the importance of 

 their assistance becomes apparent I have no doubt. 



In the present essay, however, it is by no means certain that the 

 results arrived at in the case of the different coasts are of equal value. 

 The fundamental assumption in my calculations is the catching power 

 of the sailing trawler and the relative catching power of the steam 

 trawler in comparison with it. From the absence of positive informa- 



* For evidence of the remarkable effect of the weather in 1893 npon the fauna of 

 Plymouth Soiind, see this Journal, vol. iii., 1894, pp. 210-11. For its effects on the repro- 

 duction of the oyster, see Herdman in Nature, July, 1893, p. 269. For the exceptional 

 abundance of haddock in the Irish Sea in 1894, see Ninth Report of the Inspectors of Sea 

 Fisheries, pp. 16, 155, 157, etc. The summer in 1898 was exceptionally hot, as in 1893 ; 

 and, although the spring was normal, the autumn was the hottest for thirty-three years 

 (see Table G). 



