76 THE SCIENTIFIC WORK OF THE 



to " take such, measures for their improvement as tlie funds under 

 their administration might admit of.'^ While the traditions of the 

 old Board to some extent survived^ and regulated in many ways 

 the operations of its successor, the infusion of new blood, and the 

 presence of one or two scientific men who fully recognised the 

 importance of scientific investigations in connection with the fish- 

 eries, led to important departures in the consideration and treatment 

 of fishery questions. It is needless here to defend the value of 

 the application of scientific methods and inquiries in reference to 

 the fisheries ; but Professor Cossar Ewart and Sir James Gibson- 

 Maitland had to contend with much official inertia and unenlightened 

 obstruction before such methods and inquiries could be made fruitful 

 of results. The lack of funds and of suitable appliances also at the 

 outset hampered the scientific investigations ; but means were found 

 to gradually extend their scope as their value became more and 

 more recognised. 



A word must be said as to the means at disposal and the methods 

 adopted for carrying* on the scientific fishery work of the Scottish 

 Board. The staff of Fishery Officers, gradually formed by the old 

 Board, was utilised as far as possible in the collection of scientific 

 statistics, &c., and the fishery cruisers were also made use of, so far 

 as their defective qualities allowed, in carrying on the investigations. 

 Temporary laboratories were established for the purpose of prose- 

 cuting systematic inquiries ; but owing to financial difficulties their 

 utility was somewhat interfered with, and even the use of the large 

 tanks in the Rothesay Aquarium had to be discontinued. At the 

 present time the Marine Laboratory of the Board at St. Andrews is 

 the only one in active operation. As a matter of fact, however, a 

 considerable amount of the scientific work in connection with the 

 Fishery Board has been carried on in the Natural History Depart- 

 ment of the University of Edinburgh. Two years ago the Board 

 bought a small steamer (the " Grarland "), which has been employed, 

 so far as the annual grant permits, in active investigations into the 

 condition of the fishing grounds, the influence of different modes of 

 fishing in the inshore waters, the habits of the food-fishes, &c. 

 Hitherto the results of the scientific inquiries have been incorporated 

 with the Report on the commercial aspects of the fisheries, but 

 arrangements have now been made for publishing- the scientific 

 portion of the Annual Report separately. 



The scientific work of the Board may be grouped under three 

 heads : 



(1) Inquiries into general fishery questions, such as the influence 

 of beam trawling, especially in inshore grounds, and of other methods 

 of fishing; the destruction of immature fish; the supplies of bait; 



