17 



tion, organisation, and opportunities to start during the 

 coming year this 



" Census of the Territorial Waters " ; 



and I now ask that if the Committee approve of this sug- 

 gestion, they should forthwith refer the matter to the 

 Scientific Sub-Committee for a detailed practical scheme. 

 The investigation would naturally fall into two great 

 divisions : first, the collection of fisheries statistics to 

 replace or supplement those at present taken by the Board 

 of Trade, and which are admittedly inadequate and incor- 

 rect ; and secondly, what may, for the sake of brevity, be 

 called the " scientific " part, in contra-distinction to the 

 "statistical." The scientific investigation would consist 

 of periodic (weekly, if possible) observations at fixed points 

 on the distribution and approximate numbers of the adult 

 and young fishes, of the spawners, of the embryos and 

 larvae, and of the Molluscs, Crustacea, and other inverte- 

 brates on the feeding grounds of the fish. I have thought 

 out some of the further details of the work, but pending 

 the approval by the Committee of the general principle 

 of the scheme, I need not yet go further into that part of 

 the matter. 



I must, however, say in conclusion, that it seems to me 

 that it is only by such a scheme as this that it is possible 

 for us to settle such important questions as : — 



(1) The proportionate number of fishes on the different 

 grounds, 



(2) the seasonal or periodic distribution (and migration) 

 in our district, 



(3) the existence, or not, of definite localities as " feed- 

 ing grounds " and " nurseries," and their extent, 



(4) the proportionate number that spawn in the year, 



(5) the ratio between the annual production of spawn 



