LXII THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



while in the last mentioned year it rose to $14,780,584. During the 

 next twenty-five years, from 1885 to 1910, however, little or no progress 

 was made, the aggregate value of the catch in 1910 showing an increase 

 of but $834,900 over that of 1885. The number of fishermen engaged 

 in the industry rose from 27,385 in 1870 to 51,498 in 1885; but this 

 number was increased by only 685 during the succeeding quarter of 

 a century. 



While the aggregate value of these fisheries has stood still for a 

 quarter of a century, there have recently been some indications of a 

 new advance. This lies in the development of a trade in fresh fish in 

 addition to that in salted fish which, up to the present time, is the 

 only form in which these fish have been marketed. In order to meet 

 the demands of this trade, the fishermen must bring their catch to 

 land in the shortest possible time and as a result no less than 2,304 

 boats of the fishing fleet have been fitted with gasoline engines and 

 can thus land their fish in spite of head winds or calms. 



Since 1908 steam trawling, the latest and most successful mode 

 of capturing large quantities of fish ever put into operation, has been 

 tried in a small way on the coast of Nova Scotia. 



With the increasing application of modern methods arises the 

 question: Will the vaunted abundance of fish in Canadian waters 

 remain unaffected ? This question can only be answered by a study 

 of the records of the fisheries of European waters, where steam trawling 

 has been carried on so long, and where the fleets are so large. There, 

 in the .comparatively narrow North Sea, what would in Canada be 

 called excessive fishing to a superlative degree goes on from January to 

 December, year in and year out, by an immense fleet of trawling and 

 other steam vessels without let or hindrance except within the three- 

 mile limit. 



I would point out here, that climatic conditions in Canadian 

 waters provide a natural protection against depletion. For three 

 or four months in each year there is an enforced close time, during 

 which little or no fishing takes place, and during which even the 

 operations of steam trawlers would be brought to a stand-still, owing 

 to the severity of the weather. Indeed, the Gulf of St. Lawrence — 

 that immense fish-breeding area — is virtually closed to fishing from 

 December to May, which period covers the spawning season for cod, 

 haddock, hake and such fish.* 



The fishing industry in the Maritime Provinces could be very 

 considerably developed and be made to yield larger returns if improved 

 methods of curing, packing and shipping were employed under proper 



*See "Sea-Fisheries of Eastern Canada." J. J. Cowie, Commission of Conserva- 

 tion of the Dominion of Canada, 1912, pp. 107-109. 



