﻿34 
  

  

  OTTEB-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  steam-trawl 
  fleet 
  began 
  to 
  increase, 
  has 
  been 
  higher 
  than 
  for 
  any 
  

   preceding 
  like 
  period 
  since 
  1891, 
  There 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  no 
  statistical 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  a 
  decrease 
  on 
  the 
  fishing 
  banks 
  as 
  a 
  whole. 
  

  

  A 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  trips 
  represented 
  in 
  this 
  table 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  

   banks 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  otter 
  trawlers 
  fish 
  little 
  or 
  not 
  at 
  all, 
  and 
  the 
  

   point 
  may 
  be 
  raised 
  that 
  the 
  destructive 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  trawls 
  might 
  

   be 
  masked 
  by 
  the 
  returns 
  of 
  fish 
  from 
  distant 
  banks 
  which 
  were 
  not 
  

   affected. 
  To 
  examine 
  into 
  this 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  and 
  to 
  develop 
  

   the 
  locale 
  of 
  such 
  diminution 
  as 
  may 
  have 
  occurred, 
  the 
  following 
  

   tables 
  and 
  diagrams 
  have 
  been 
  prepared 
  : 
  

  

  Quantity 
  or 
  Cod, 
  Haddock, 
  and 
  Hake 
  Taken 
  on 
  all 
  Grounds 
  Except 
  Georges 
  

   Bank, 
  South 
  Channel, 
  and 
  Nantucket 
  Shoals 
  by 
  American 
  Line 
  Vessels 
  

   Landing 
  Theib 
  Catch 
  at 
  Boston 
  and 
  Gloucester, 
  1891 
  to 
  1914, 
  Inclusive, 
  

  

  o 
  Data 
  not 
  available. 
  

  

  The 
  otter 
  trawls 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  on 
  Georges 
  

   Bank, 
  South 
  Channel, 
  and 
  Nantucket 
  Shoals; 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  

   that, 
  excluding 
  these 
  grounds, 
  the 
  catch 
  per 
  trij) 
  of 
  cod, 
  haddock, 
  and 
  

   hake, 
  collectively, 
  by 
  liners, 
  has 
  exhibited 
  a 
  gradual 
  and 
  almost 
  

   uninterrupted 
  increase 
  from 
  1908 
  to 
  1914, 
  the 
  aggregate 
  gain 
  during 
  

   that 
  time 
  being 
  nearly 
  45 
  per 
  cent. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  individual 
  species 
  

   were 
  concerned, 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  cod 
  per 
  trip 
  in 
  1914 
  was 
  larger 
  than 
  in 
  

   any 
  other 
  year 
  enumerated 
  ; 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  haddock 
  was 
  larger 
  than 
  

   in 
  any 
  year, 
  except 
  1912 
  and 
  1913, 
  being 
  much 
  smaller 
  than 
  in 
  1913 
  ; 
  

   and 
  of 
  hake 
  about 
  as 
  many 
  were 
  caught 
  as 
  in 
  any 
  year, 
  excepting 
  

   1891 
  and 
  1910. 
  

  

  