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  OTTER- 
  TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  portion 
  of 
  small 
  fishes 
  is 
  more 
  clearly 
  brought 
  out. 
  One 
  large 
  

   cod, 
  for 
  instance, 
  weighs 
  at 
  least 
  four 
  times 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  a 
  scrod, 
  yet 
  

   each 
  scrod 
  taken 
  is, 
  barring 
  accidents 
  and 
  enemies, 
  a 
  potential 
  

   large 
  cod. 
  We 
  have, 
  however, 
  no 
  way 
  of 
  determining 
  the 
  age 
  or 
  

   weight 
  " 
  expectancy 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  average 
  scrod, 
  and 
  any 
  consideration 
  

   of 
  the 
  probabilities 
  would 
  be 
  mere 
  unfounded 
  speculation. 
  It 
  is 
  

   clear, 
  at 
  least, 
  that 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  not 
  only 
  destroys 
  more 
  fish 
  

   too 
  small 
  to 
  market, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  more 
  wasteful 
  than 
  the 
  line 
  fish- 
  

   eries 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  its 
  marketable 
  catch. 
  

  

  EDIBLE 
  FISHES 
  WASTED 
  AND 
  NEW 
  KINDS 
  MARKETED. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  another 
  type 
  of 
  waste 
  which 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  considered. 
  

   Failure 
  to 
  utilize 
  a 
  resource 
  which 
  from 
  its 
  nature 
  is 
  not 
  imperish- 
  

   able 
  is 
  almost 
  as 
  economically 
  indefensible 
  as 
  to 
  needlessly 
  destroy 
  

   part 
  of 
  a 
  product 
  the 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  utilized. 
  Every 
  

   edible 
  or 
  otherwise 
  economically 
  valuable 
  fish 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  beyond 
  

   the 
  requirements 
  of 
  the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  or 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  

   food 
  for 
  other 
  species 
  which 
  are 
  used, 
  is 
  a 
  loss 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  need 
  

   of 
  man 
  for 
  protein-bearing 
  food 
  remains 
  unsatisfied. 
  A 
  waste 
  of 
  

   a 
  recognized 
  food 
  species 
  by 
  any 
  given 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  may 
  be- 
  

   come 
  justifiable 
  if 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  previously 
  unutilized 
  species, 
  

   not 
  possible 
  to 
  take 
  by 
  other 
  apparatus, 
  be 
  made 
  available 
  to 
  con- 
  

   sumers. 
  In 
  final 
  analysis 
  the 
  consumers' 
  interest 
  is 
  paramount, 
  

   and 
  the 
  real 
  purpose 
  of 
  a 
  fishery 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  people 
  may 
  have 
  fish, 
  

   both 
  immediately 
  and 
  for 
  all 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  of 
  floimder 
  locally 
  known 
  as 
  " 
  sole 
  " 
  is 
  practically 
  the 
  

   only 
  fish 
  marketed 
  by 
  the 
  otter 
  trawlers 
  which 
  does 
  not 
  feature 
  

   in 
  the 
  market 
  returns 
  of 
  the 
  trawl 
  liners. 
  These 
  fish 
  average 
  about 
  

   3 
  pounds 
  in 
  weight. 
  During 
  the 
  period 
  from 
  January 
  to 
  May, 
  

   inclusive, 
  4 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  from 
  June 
  to 
  December, 
  inclusive, 
  1.3 
  

   per 
  cent 
  by 
  count, 
  of 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  caught 
  by 
  otter 
  trawls 
  con- 
  

   sisted 
  of 
  soles, 
  all 
  or 
  practically 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  marketed, 
  while 
  

   the 
  quantity 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  caught 
  on 
  lines 
  was 
  negligible. 
  During 
  

   1913 
  the 
  trawlers 
  marketed 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  about 
  50,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  sole 
  

   per 
  month, 
  or 
  600,000 
  pounds 
  per 
  year. 
  This 
  is 
  about 
  three 
  times 
  

   the 
  total 
  quantity 
  of 
  marketable 
  hake, 
  36 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  saleable 
  

   cod, 
  and 
  nearly 
  5 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  haddock 
  marketed 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  

   source. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  a 
  material 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  food 
  supply. 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  cod, 
  haddock, 
  and 
  hake 
  killed 
  

   and 
  thrown 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  otter 
  trawlers 
  is 
  not 
  definitely 
  loiown, 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  least 
  three-fourths 
  of 
  a 
  pound. 
  On 
  this 
  

   pssumption, 
  the 
  total 
  quantity 
  of 
  soles 
  marketed 
  by 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl- 
  

   ers 
  is 
  but 
  one-third 
  of 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  small 
  gadoids 
  destroyed. 
  As 
  

   has 
  been 
  before 
  pointed 
  out, 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  

   by 
  trawl 
  liners 
  is 
  comparatively 
  negligible. 
  Without 
  considering 
  

   the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  potentiality 
  for 
  growth 
  of 
  these 
  young 
  fish 
  and 
  

  

  