IJErORT OF THE COUNCIL. 321 



ti.slieniiea's records which distinguish the fishing ground, date and 

 duration of fishing, and amount of fish caught for each haul of the 

 trawl. All the records have been tabulated for the purpose of com- 

 parison, and it is hoped that light will be thrown by means of them, 

 in conjunction with the scientific survey now in progress, upon any 

 changes which have taken place in the distribution and abundance of 

 fish on particular grounds during the past twenty-three years. 



1865-1874. — liecords of the llamsgate trawl-fishing, covering the 

 greater part of the period from 1865 to 1874, have also been placed in 

 Mr. Garstang's hands by the fisherman who kept them. The same 

 boat is still fishing from llamsgate, and the present master has under- 

 taken to keep a record of liis catches for comparison with the old ones 

 referred to. 



The thanks of the Association are due to the Eastern and North 

 Eastern Sea Fisheries Committees for the privilege of trawling within 

 the waters under their jurisdiction, and to their Inspectors, Mr. Herbert 

 Donnison and Captain K. E. Simpson, for much friendly assistance ; 

 also to the Great Central Ifailway Company, the Boston Corporation, 

 and the Great Eastern Eailway Company, for privileges in connection 

 with harbour facilities at Grimsby, Boston, and Lowestoft. 



At several ports the work in connection with the reception and 

 transmission of marked fish recovered by the fishermen has been con- 

 siderable. The best thanks of the Association are due to their agents 

 in this connection, especially to Mr. 0. T. Olsen, f.l.s., of Grimsby, to 

 Mr. W. C. Edwards, Statistical Officer to the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries at Hull, and to Messrs. A. Johnson and J. Eoberts, Inspectors 

 of the Fishmongers' Company at Billingsgate. 



Last, but not least, the Association is indebted to the fishing-boat 

 owners and fishermen of the east coast for the general interest which 

 they have displayed in the investigations in progress, and for the 

 confidence and friendly spirit with whicli they have co-operated with 

 the naturalists of the Association in the work. 



Section IL— HYDROGRAPHIC AND PLANKTON WORK 

 IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL. 



Six (piarterly cruises have now been made in the English Channel, 

 viz. in February, May, August, and November, 1903, and February and 

 May, 1904, on each of which the programme of hydrographic and 

 plaidvton observations described in last year's Eeport has been carried 

 out. The material collected up to February, 1904, has been worked 

 out and the results forwarded to the Central Bureau in Copenhagen. 

 The ol)servations made up to November, 1903, have already been pub- 

 lished in the International Bulletin. 



