﻿OTTER-TEAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  7 
  

  

  will 
  be 
  continually 
  carried 
  away 
  and 
  destroyed 
  and 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  quickly 
  

   rendered 
  nonproductive. 
  The 
  representations 
  take 
  the 
  following 
  form 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  That 
  the 
  fishing 
  areas 
  where 
  steam 
  trawlers 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  operating 
  

   have 
  become 
  seriously 
  depleted 
  of 
  fish. 
  

  

  2. 
  That 
  the 
  spawn 
  or 
  eggs 
  of 
  fish 
  are 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  trawlnet 
  when 
  being 
  

   dragged 
  along 
  the 
  bottom. 
  

  

  3. 
  That 
  immature 
  fish 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  very 
  large 
  numbers, 
  which 
  are 
  killed 
  in 
  

   the 
  process 
  of 
  capture 
  and 
  are 
  thrown 
  away. 
  

  

  4. 
  That 
  valuable 
  shellfish 
  are 
  destroyed 
  in 
  large 
  numbers. 
  

  

  5. 
  That 
  steam 
  trawlers 
  carry 
  on 
  operations 
  at 
  night 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  day- 
  

   time, 
  and 
  that 
  although 
  an 
  effort 
  might 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  keep 
  clear 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   fisherman's 
  gear 
  during 
  daylight, 
  no 
  such 
  effort 
  would 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  darkness, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  invisibility 
  of 
  the 
  buoys 
  and 
  other 
  floating 
  marks. 
  

  

  6. 
  That 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  uncommon 
  thing 
  for 
  a 
  steam 
  trawler 
  to 
  come 
  close 
  to 
  

   ordinary 
  fishing 
  vessels 
  and 
  their 
  dories 
  when 
  the 
  gear 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  

   water 
  and 
  being 
  overhauled, 
  and, 
  if 
  fish 
  appear 
  plentiful, 
  to 
  sweep 
  around 
  the 
  

   spot 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  trawlnet 
  carry 
  away 
  the 
  gear 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  fish 
  on 
  the 
  hooks. 
  

  

  7. 
  Further, 
  that 
  while 
  steam 
  trawling 
  has 
  been 
  prohibited 
  within 
  the 
  terri- 
  

   torial 
  waters 
  of 
  Canada, 
  such 
  protection 
  affords 
  the 
  inshore 
  fisherman 
  little 
  

   protection, 
  as 
  their 
  gear 
  is 
  frequently 
  set 
  even 
  long 
  distances 
  beyond 
  territorial 
  

   waters, 
  and 
  it, 
  of 
  course, 
  afl:ords 
  no 
  protection 
  whatever 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  bank 
  " 
  fisher- 
  

   men. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  it 
  is 
  urged 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  That 
  steam 
  trawling 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  unduly 
  destructive 
  method 
  of 
  fishing, 
  as 
  

   an 
  evidence 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  intensively 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  

   North 
  Sea 
  and 
  other 
  European 
  waters 
  for 
  very 
  many 
  years 
  without 
  any 
  diminu- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  being 
  apparent. 
  

  

  2. 
  That 
  continuous 
  supplies 
  are 
  necessary 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  demands 
  of 
  the 
  grow- 
  

   ing 
  fresh-fish 
  markets, 
  and 
  that 
  as 
  steam 
  trawling 
  can 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  all 
  weathers, 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  means 
  of 
  providing 
  such 
  continuous 
  supplies. 
  

  

  3. 
  That 
  edible 
  flat 
  fishes, 
  for 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  evergrowing 
  market, 
  and 
  which 
  

   are 
  taken 
  in 
  very 
  limited 
  quantities 
  by 
  hook 
  and 
  line, 
  can 
  be 
  secured 
  in 
  large 
  

   quantities 
  by 
  steam 
  trawlers. 
  

  

  The 
  men 
  were 
  supplied 
  also 
  with 
  printed 
  forms 
  on 
  which 
  to 
  record 
  

   full 
  data 
  respecting 
  the 
  date, 
  location, 
  duration, 
  and 
  length 
  of 
  each 
  

   haul; 
  the 
  numbers 
  and 
  sizes 
  of 
  each 
  species 
  of 
  coimnercial 
  fish 
  taken; 
  

   and 
  the 
  numbers 
  and 
  sizes 
  of 
  edible 
  fish 
  of 
  species 
  never, 
  or 
  not 
  

   usually, 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  markets. 
  They 
  were 
  required 
  to 
  record, 
  also, 
  

   all 
  observations 
  of 
  facts 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  points 
  in 
  dispute, 
  the 
  condi- 
  

   tion 
  (living 
  or 
  dead) 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  thrown 
  overboard, 
  the 
  amount 
  and 
  

   character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  material 
  brought 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  trawls, 
  any 
  inter- 
  

   ference 
  with 
  or 
  damage 
  to 
  trawl 
  lines, 
  etc. 
  

  

  The 
  men 
  making 
  the 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  vessels 
  were: 
  

  

  W. 
  W. 
  Welsh, 
  assistant. 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  C. 
  

  

  Thomas 
  M. 
  Douthart, 
  Boston, 
  Mass. 
  

  

  Frank 
  S. 
  Terry, 
  New 
  York, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  

  

  John 
  H. 
  Brennan, 
  Port 
  Clyde, 
  Me. 
  

  

  John 
  N. 
  Burrows, 
  Southport, 
  Me. 
  

  

  Allan 
  L. 
  Black, 
  McKinley, 
  Me. 
  

  

  Walter 
  H. 
  Kich, 
  Portland, 
  Me. 
  

  

  