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Report of the Council, 1902-1903. 



The Council and Oflacers. 



The work of the Council has this year been considerably augmented 

 in consequence of the fact that a commission has been accepted from 

 H.M. Government to carry out in the southern British area the pro- 

 gramme of scientific fishery investigations adopted by the International 

 Conference, which met at Christiania in 1901. In addition to the four 

 ordinary meetings of the Council, three special meetings have been 

 held, these being entirely devoted to the organisation of the inter- 

 national work. The average attendance at the meetings has been nine. 

 The Council have again to thank the Eoyal Society for allowing all the 

 meetings to be held in their rooms at Burlington House. 



The Laboratories. 



No changes of importance have been made at the Plymouth Labora- 

 tory, where the ordinary routine work has been carried on with but 

 little interruption. The buildings are in a good state of repair, and 

 the Laboratory is maintained in an efficient condition. 



In order to carry out the work which is required by the international 

 scheme in the southern part of the North Sea, premises have been 

 rented by the Association close to the fishing harbour at Lowestoft, and 

 have been furnished in a manner suitable for conducting laboratory 

 investigations. 



The Boats. 



For the North Sea fishery investigations the Council have hired for 

 a period of three years the steam trawler Huxley, a vessel 115 feet 

 long and 191 tons gross tonnage. Some difficulty was experienced in 

 obtaining a vessel suitable for the work with the funds provided by 

 Government, but the Council were fortunate in securing the assistance 

 of one of their members, Mr. G, P. Bidder, who himself purchased the 



