OF THE GRIMSBY TRAWL FISHERY. — 567 
Continental coast by gradual stages, opening up the grounds north 
of the Horn Reef about 1868. The liners, or codmen, seem to 
have been the pioneers in the exploration of the more central parts 
of the North Sea, since the Great Fisher Bank had been frequented 
by them for many years before it became a recognised trawling 
ground. I believe it was first trawled about twenty years ago, but 
has only been generally resorted to as a winter ground during the 
last ten years. 
The Iceland grounds were also discovered by liners, and it was 
not until 1891 that they were first visited by a trawler. ‘They have 
been worked, though not at great profit, by a certain number of 
steam-trawlers ever since; whether the fishery will continue is 
doubtful, but certainly the local authorities have done their best to 
discourage it. I have given rather a detailed account of the early 
condition of this fishery in the Association’s Journal (vol. iii, 129), 
but, in view of recent developments, I fear that certain predictions 
I ventured to make will have only the average value of prophecy. 
Cuap. 1V.—Tue Inrropuction or TRawiine at A Norruern Fispine 
STATION, AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE FISHERY. 
In answer to my inquiries on the aspect of fishery matters at 
Sunderland, and on the past history of the industry at that port, my 
friend Mr. T. N. T. Potts has kindly drawn up the following sketch, 
which I make no apology for publishing in extenso. 
“T am forty-two years of age, and have resided in the locality of 
Sunderland since childhood. The sea and the sea-shore are the 
first things I can remember, and as a child I took the greatest in- 
terest in its living creatures. My earliest knowledge of the fishing 
will date from about thirty years ago. At that time fishermen 
really were fishermen, their forefathers before them had been fisher- 
men, and they brought up their families as fishermen. All did 
what they could; the girls and younger branches of the family 
sought bait, while the boys who were old enough went with their 
fathers to the fishing. In many cases the fishermen made their 
own lines and nets, during bad weather when they could not get to sea. 
At that time each family possessed their own ‘ cobles’ (local boats, 
of which there are two, sizes, the large herring cobles about 30 to 40 
feet over all, and the small cobles about 20 to 30 feet over all used 
for line-fishing, crab, lobster, and salmon fishing), nets, lines, and 
gear sufficient to conduct the various kinds of fishing suitable to the 
