40 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



in connection with the employment of trawls, and at present no data 

 are available from which even a tentative answer may be given it. 

 We know nothing of the habits of the young Halibut, and until these 

 are known we cannot estimate with any degree of certainty the effects 

 of trawling upon the Halibut banks of our West Coast. If, however, 

 the young fish do live on the banks in company with the adults, then 

 in view of the condition indicated by the statistics of the Halibut 

 catch given above, if the trawling method be introduced, we can only 

 look forward to the speedy depletion of the banks and the extinction 

 of an industry which has, in the past, furnished an important supply 

 of excellent food-material and an annual return of over a million dol- 

 lars to those engaged in it. 



