﻿36 
  

  

  OTTER-TEAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  condition 
  is 
  apparent. 
  There 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  per 
  trip 
  was 
  smaller 
  

   than 
  in 
  any 
  year 
  since 
  1908, 
  excepting 
  1909; 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  cod 
  was 
  

   the 
  lowest 
  recorded; 
  more 
  haddock 
  were 
  caught 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  year, 
  

   excepting 
  1905, 
  1911, 
  and 
  1912; 
  and 
  fewer 
  hake 
  were 
  taken 
  than 
  in 
  

   any 
  year 
  since 
  1891. 
  

  

  An 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  table 
  and 
  diagram, 
  exhibiting 
  the 
  

   catch 
  of 
  the 
  otter 
  trawls, 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  catch 
  per 
  trip 
  of 
  the 
  gadoid 
  

   fishes 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  in 
  1914 
  was 
  about 
  equal 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  1913 
  and 
  lower 
  

   than 
  for 
  any 
  other 
  year, 
  excepting 
  1908 
  and 
  1909, 
  Fewer 
  cod 
  were 
  

   taken 
  in 
  1914 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  year, 
  excepting 
  1910 
  ; 
  fewer 
  haddock 
  than 
  

   in 
  three 
  of 
  the 
  preceding 
  six 
  years. 
  

  

  Quantities 
  of 
  Cod, 
  Haddock, 
  and 
  Hake 
  Taken 
  by 
  Otter 
  Trawlers 
  from 
  

   Georges 
  Bank 
  and 
  South 
  Channel, 
  190S 
  to 
  1914, 
  Inclusive. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  ample 
  evidence, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  

   food 
  fishes 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  otter 
  trawlers 
  was 
  con- 
  

   siderably 
  smaller 
  in 
  1913 
  than 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  preceding, 
  while 
  

   on 
  the 
  banks 
  on 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  trawling 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  

   material 
  increase, 
  the 
  catch 
  on 
  all 
  banks 
  combined 
  being 
  slightly 
  

   above 
  the 
  average 
  for 
  the 
  past 
  six 
  j^ears. 
  If 
  the 
  investigations 
  had 
  

   been 
  made 
  in 
  1911 
  or 
  1912, 
  the 
  statistical 
  evidence 
  would 
  have 
  tended 
  

   to 
  show 
  an 
  increase 
  rather 
  than 
  a 
  decrease 
  during 
  the 
  same 
  period 
  

   in 
  the 
  average 
  catch 
  of 
  fish 
  by 
  both 
  otter 
  trawls 
  and 
  lines 
  on 
  Georges 
  

   Bank 
  and 
  South 
  Channel. 
  

  

  In 
  1914, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  1913, 
  both 
  liners 
  and 
  trawlers 
  made 
  

   smaller 
  catches 
  of 
  cod 
  per 
  trip 
  to 
  Georges 
  Bank, 
  South 
  Channel, 
  

   and 
  Nantucket 
  Shoals 
  and 
  larger 
  catches 
  of 
  haddock. 
  On 
  the 
  

   other 
  hand, 
  the 
  trips 
  to 
  all 
  other 
  banks 
  yielded 
  a 
  smaller 
  average 
  

   catch 
  of 
  haddock 
  and 
  a 
  larger 
  catch 
  of 
  cod. 
  If 
  this 
  can 
  be 
  held 
  to 
  

   mean 
  anything, 
  it 
  is 
  that 
  during 
  1914 
  there 
  were 
  more 
  haddock 
  

   and 
  fewer 
  cod 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  trawlers 
  and 
  that 
  

   the 
  data 
  indicate 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  merely 
  a 
  shifting 
  of 
  the 
  schools 
  

   of 
  these 
  fish 
  from 
  one 
  region 
  to 
  another, 
  the 
  average 
  on 
  all 
  banks 
  

   combined 
  remaining 
  practically 
  uniform. 
  

  

  