78 FISHES AND FISHERIES OF THE IRISH SEA. 
TABLE III. 
Value of fish landed direct from the fishing grounds at the various ports in the 
Lancashire and Western Sea Fisheries District, including Rhyl, which is omitted from the two 
first tables, as it was not included in either of the two original Sea Fishery Districts :— 
Date. 
1891 
1892 
1893 
1894 
1895 
1896 
1897 
1898 
1899 
1900 
Weight of Fish, 
excluding Shell Fish. 
Total Value, 
including Shell Fish. 
Cwts. L 
105,548 145,780 
185,173 187,994 
209932 2033735 
197,899 1975579 
245,518 232,878 
261,072 240,141 
361,086 288,407 
4431336 353,078 
247,892 233,643 
267,051 260,328 
It will be seen that in the original Lancashire Sea Fisheries District the value of fish 
landed in 1900 shows an increase of £31,654 over that of the preceding year, 1899, and a 
decrease in the original Western Sea Fisheries District of £4,856 for the same period ; but this 
does not necessarily indicate a decrease in the quantity of fish taken from the Welsh fishing 
Fic. 12.—A Deep-Sea Trawler. 
grounds, as owing to many of the sailing 
trawlers now being fitted with ice chests, the 
fish, instead of being landed at Carnarvon, 
Pwllheli, &c., and forwarded to market by rail 
as formerly, is frequently taken to other ports 
by the trawlers themselves. For instance, there 
were a large number of trawlers hailing from 
the south coast of England fishing in Cardigan 
Bay during the past summer (1901),—we have 
counted 46, but we are informed there were 60 
and they have, for the most part, landed their 
fish at Milford. 
It may be argued, and with good reason, 
that although a substantial increase in the 
quantity and value of fish caught is shown, the 
greater part of this may have been obtained 
from the grounds outside the limits of the 
district. At the same time increased returns are shown at ports in the district where fish is only 
landed by the inshore boats; and, again, it must not be forgotten that on this coast the 
nurseries which feed the off-shore grounds mostly lie within the district, and that if they are 
not preserved the outside grounds cannot continue to produce the same results. 
It is probable that the value of bye-laws or fishery regulations cannot be fairly judged 
by statements of increased or decreased takes alone, as the question arises, what would be the 
state of the fisheries at the present time had there been no bye-laws? For instance, it seems 
reasonable to surmise, with regard to the Lancashire and Western Sea Fisheries District, that 
