﻿REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  OTTER-TRAWL 
  FISHERY, 
  

  

  By 
  A. 
  B. 
  Alexander, 
  H. 
  F. 
  Moore, 
  and 
  W. 
  C. 
  Kendall. 
  

  

  INTRODUCTION. 
  

  

  Until 
  1905, 
  American 
  vessels 
  fishing 
  for 
  demersal 
  or 
  bottom 
  fish 
  

   on 
  the 
  banks 
  adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  

   more 
  distant 
  banks 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Newfoundland 
  and 
  Canada 
  con- 
  

   fined 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  hand 
  lines 
  and 
  trawl 
  lines, 
  the 
  nature 
  

   and 
  methods 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  described 
  later 
  in 
  this 
  re- 
  

   port. 
  This 
  fishery 
  was, 
  and 
  is, 
  conducted 
  solely 
  by 
  sailing 
  vessels. 
  

   In 
  the 
  year 
  mentioned, 
  the 
  steamer 
  Spray 
  was 
  built 
  at 
  Quincy, 
  

   Mass., 
  for 
  Boston 
  owners, 
  the 
  Bay 
  State 
  Fishing 
  Co. 
  She 
  was 
  

   constructed 
  on 
  the 
  general 
  plans 
  of 
  British 
  fishing 
  steamers 
  and 
  

   was 
  equipped 
  for 
  using 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl, 
  an 
  entirely 
  new 
  method 
  

   of 
  fishing 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  also 
  described 
  further 
  

   on 
  in 
  this 
  report. 
  In 
  1910, 
  two 
  more 
  steam 
  trawlers 
  were 
  built 
  for 
  

   the 
  same 
  owners, 
  and 
  in 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  years 
  1911 
  and 
  1913 
  three 
  

   similar 
  vessels 
  were 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  fleet. 
  In 
  addition, 
  a 
  converted 
  

   yacht 
  owned 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  began 
  fishing 
  in 
  1912, 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  vessel 
  

   owned 
  in 
  Gloucester 
  sometimes 
  uses 
  an 
  otter 
  trawl. 
  In 
  the 
  winter 
  

   of 
  1914-15 
  a 
  menhaden 
  steamer 
  entered 
  the 
  fishery. 
  These, 
  with 
  

   the 
  Coquet^ 
  a 
  Scottish 
  vessel 
  which 
  made 
  several 
  trips 
  into 
  New 
  

   York, 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  vessels 
  which 
  have 
  used 
  otter 
  trawls 
  out 
  of 
  

   American 
  ports 
  or 
  which 
  have 
  carried 
  fares 
  taken 
  with 
  otter 
  trawls 
  

   into 
  such 
  ports. 
  The 
  fishery 
  has 
  always 
  been 
  conducted 
  predomi- 
  

   nantly 
  out 
  of 
  Boston, 
  and 
  at 
  present 
  is 
  practically 
  confined 
  to 
  that 
  

   place. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  merits 
  and 
  demerits 
  of 
  beam 
  trawling 
  and 
  otter 
  

   trawling, 
  which 
  are 
  essentially 
  similar, 
  had 
  long 
  been 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  

   much 
  controversy 
  and 
  numerous 
  investigations 
  in 
  Europe, 
  there 
  

   never 
  had 
  been 
  occasion 
  for 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  until 
  the 
  

   rapid 
  augmentation 
  of 
  the 
  Boston 
  steam-trawling 
  fleet 
  after 
  1910 
  

   aroused 
  the 
  line 
  fishermen 
  to 
  apprehension 
  concerning 
  the 
  conserva- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  banks 
  and 
  a 
  realization 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  face 
  to 
  face 
  

   with 
  a 
  possible 
  revolution 
  in 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  fishing. 
  

  

  As 
  an 
  outcome 
  of 
  this 
  alarm, 
  and 
  in 
  response 
  to 
  the 
  appeal 
  of 
  

   the 
  line 
  fishermen 
  and 
  related 
  fishery 
  interests, 
  the 
  investigation 
  

   on 
  which 
  this 
  report 
  is 
  based 
  was 
  made. 
  

  

  13 
  

  

  