SOME RESULTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS. 475 



area, indicating the emigration southwards of the shoals previously 

 present in the Skagerak. 



Such a mass of statistical data provides only a " representative 

 sample " of the fishing carried on over the region investigated by 

 Henking. Even though the study professes to deal with the catches 

 made by all the German fishing steamers, it must be remembered that 

 these form only a portion of the whole fishing fleet exploiting this 

 area. Obviously such a method of studying the operations and results 

 of the fishing vessels can be wholly satisfactory only when all the 

 vessels, steam trawlers, liners, and smacks, can be made to furnish 

 returns of their catches, stating the quantities and kinds of fishes 

 caught, the areas of capture, and the duration of the fishing. If we 

 could obtain this information, and have it worked up under the direc- 

 tion of an International Fishery Board, we should then be in possession 

 of knowledge of incalculable value for the regulation of the industry. 



But a scheme of statistical collection of such nature and magnitude 

 is apparently Utopian only, when we consider the present organization 

 and resources of official fishery authorities. The next best method is 

 that which has been followed by some of the organizations in con- 

 nexion with the International Fisheries Council. Since it is impossible 

 to obtain figures representing the fishing results of all the North 

 European vessels, we have to be content with results which represent 

 the fishing of large and important fleets having their head-quarters at 

 various fishing centres. If a large number of vessels which fish over a 

 wide area can be induced to furnish the results of their fishing, then we 

 possess a series of data which may be taken to represent the fishing 

 carried on by all the fleets. The larger the number of vessels supply- 

 ing returns, the more reliable, of course, are the conclusions made. 

 Such is the method of studying the fluctuations of the fisheries on the 

 more important fishing grounds which was first suggested by Fulton in 

 his well-known paper in the Eeport of the Scottish Fishery Board 

 for 1901 ; and which has been adopted by Eedeke for the Dutch North 

 Sea trawlers, by Henking for the German steam fishing vessels ; and 

 which may be studied at its best in the Eeports on the fishing results 

 of the Aberdeen fishing fleets by U'Arcy Thompson and Fulton.* 

 Since 1901 the Scottish Fishery Board has collected such statistics, and 

 when the International fishery researches began the figures obtained 

 were dealt with by the International Council in connexion with the 

 other investigations. 



At the present time nearly all the steam liners, about two-thirds of 



• See D'Arcy Thompson, "Aberdeen Trawling Statistics" ; Fulton, " Distrilmtion and 

 Seasonal Abundance of Flat-tishes in the North Sea " ; Fishery and Uydrographic Investiga- 

 tions in the North Sea (cd. 2612), 1905. 



