﻿LETTER 
  FROM 
  BUREAU 
  COMMITTEE 
  TO 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH- 
  

   ERIES 
  TRANSMITTING 
  REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  OTTER-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  Department 
  of 
  Commerce, 
  

  

  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  

   Washington, 
  January 
  6, 
  1915. 
  

   The 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  : 
  

  

  We 
  are 
  transmitting 
  herewith 
  our 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  otter 
  

   trawling 
  on 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  your 
  order 
  of 
  February 
  

   5, 
  1914, 
  constituting 
  us 
  a 
  committee 
  for 
  the 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   ject. 
  We 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  comply 
  with 
  your 
  injunction 
  in 
  regard 
  

   to 
  the 
  time 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  report 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  rendered 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  that 
  

   we 
  speedily 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  data 
  acquired 
  by 
  the 
  field 
  investigations 
  

   in 
  1913 
  were 
  inadequate 
  as 
  a 
  basis 
  for 
  conclusions 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  

   either 
  just 
  to 
  all 
  interests 
  or 
  commensurate 
  with 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  

   the 
  subject. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  reach 
  any 
  useful 
  conclusions 
  whatever 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  necessary 
  to 
  consider 
  the 
  available 
  facts 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  

   history 
  of 
  otter 
  trawling 
  in 
  Great 
  Britain, 
  and 
  we 
  decided 
  that 
  for 
  

   this 
  purpose 
  it 
  was 
  advisable 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  original 
  official 
  sources 
  of 
  

   information 
  i-ather 
  than 
  to 
  utilize 
  the 
  conclusions 
  arrived 
  at 
  by 
  the 
  

   various 
  commissions 
  which 
  have 
  investigated 
  the 
  subject, 
  and 
  this 
  

   has 
  consumed 
  much 
  time, 
  particularly 
  as 
  the 
  inquiry 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  con- 
  

   ducted 
  without 
  interference 
  with 
  many 
  other 
  duties. 
  

  

  In 
  reviewing 
  the 
  causes, 
  conclusions, 
  and 
  results 
  of 
  various 
  investi- 
  

   gations 
  of 
  trawling 
  in 
  Great 
  Britain, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind 
  that 
  

   the 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  fisheries 
  there 
  have 
  always 
  been 
  and 
  still 
  are 
  

   very 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  There 
  trawling 
  has 
  under- 
  

   gone 
  a 
  progressive 
  evolution, 
  here 
  it 
  has 
  just 
  begun 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  way 
  

   at 
  the 
  modern 
  end 
  of 
  that 
  evolution, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  

   engines 
  of 
  that 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  and 
  the 
  fishes 
  sought. 
  

  

  Therefore 
  the 
  early 
  considerations 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  trawling 
  have 
  

   only 
  a 
  general, 
  if 
  any, 
  application 
  to 
  the 
  question 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  as 
  

   the 
  conditions, 
  until 
  recent 
  date 
  at 
  least, 
  are 
  incomparable 
  and 
  a 
  com- 
  

   parison, 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  much 
  value, 
  must 
  be 
  of 
  synchronous 
  and 
  analogous 
  

   conditions 
  What 
  was 
  concluded 
  by 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  Commission 
  of 
  1863, 
  

   or 
  any 
  other 
  commission 
  or 
  select 
  committee, 
  or 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  40 
  

   years 
  ago 
  or 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  advent 
  of 
  steam 
  trawling, 
  and 
  

   particularly 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl, 
  a 
  great 
  scientist 
  or 
  other 
  authority 
  made 
  

  

  11 
  

  

  