﻿OTTER-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  43 
  

  

  Georges, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  over 
  12 
  trips 
  per 
  month 
  

   for 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  Considering 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  data 
  available 
  respecting 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  fish 
  

   and 
  particularly 
  the 
  haddock, 
  the 
  species 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  in 
  the 
  

   catch 
  of 
  the 
  otter 
  trawlers, 
  we 
  can 
  see 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  depletion 
  

   of 
  the 
  supply 
  on 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl- 
  

   ers. 
  The 
  average 
  catch 
  per 
  trip 
  shows 
  no 
  diminution 
  from 
  that 
  made 
  

   prior 
  to 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  steam 
  trawlers. 
  

  

  DENUDATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  BOTTOM 
  BY 
  OTTER 
  TRAWLERS. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  vigorously 
  urged 
  objections 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  otter 
  

   trawl 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  tears 
  loose, 
  dislodges, 
  crushes, 
  and 
  destroys 
  the 
  marine 
  

   animal 
  and 
  vegetable 
  growths 
  which 
  in 
  places 
  cover 
  the 
  bottom 
  on 
  

   the 
  fishing 
  banks. 
  It 
  is 
  upon 
  these 
  sessile 
  or 
  attached 
  organisms 
  and 
  

   the 
  animals 
  of 
  many 
  kinds 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  give 
  harbor 
  that 
  the 
  bot- 
  

   tom 
  fishes 
  feed, 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  shown 
  that 
  any 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  

   or 
  any 
  practice 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  denudes 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  any 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  proportion 
  of 
  these 
  growths, 
  it 
  would 
  establish 
  abundant 
  rea- 
  

   son 
  for 
  regarding 
  such 
  fishery 
  or 
  practice 
  as 
  inimical 
  to 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   ductiveness 
  of 
  the 
  banks. 
  

  

  The 
  attached 
  animals 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  consist 
  generally 
  of 
  sponges; 
  

   hydroids 
  and 
  bryozoans, 
  collectively 
  called 
  " 
  sea 
  moss 
  " 
  by 
  the 
  fisher- 
  

   men; 
  ascidians, 
  known 
  as 
  "lemons" 
  and 
  "strawberries"; 
  sea 
  ane- 
  

   mones; 
  mussels 
  and 
  other 
  mollusks; 
  burrowing 
  and 
  tube-building 
  

   worms 
  (" 
  macaroni 
  ") 
  ; 
  barnacles, 
  etc. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  many 
  

   of 
  the 
  worms 
  which 
  burrow 
  in 
  sand 
  or 
  mud, 
  the 
  sessile 
  forms 
  are 
  

   attached 
  to 
  rocks, 
  pebbles, 
  and 
  shells, 
  or 
  to 
  one 
  another. 
  Finding 
  

   shelter 
  among 
  these 
  or 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  are 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  

   crabs, 
  shrimps, 
  and 
  other 
  crustaceans; 
  scallops, 
  clams, 
  and 
  other 
  

   bivalve 
  mollusks; 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  gasteropods 
  or 
  snail-like 
  mollusks; 
  

   many 
  starfishes 
  and 
  brittle 
  stars; 
  sea 
  urchins; 
  sea 
  cucumbers 
  or 
  

   "pumpkins"; 
  worms; 
  and 
  fishes 
  of 
  various 
  kinds, 
  all 
  preying 
  or 
  

   being 
  preyed 
  upon 
  and 
  in 
  complex 
  and 
  intimate 
  relation 
  to 
  one 
  

   another 
  generally. 
  There 
  are 
  many 
  minute 
  animals 
  and 
  plants 
  on 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  and. 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  growths 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  overlying 
  water. 
  

   Of 
  these 
  the 
  microscopic 
  plants 
  are 
  highly 
  important, 
  as 
  they, 
  with 
  

   the 
  seaweeds, 
  are 
  the 
  fundamental 
  source 
  of 
  food, 
  direct 
  or 
  indirect, 
  

   of 
  all 
  marine 
  animals. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  feed 
  directly 
  on 
  these 
  

   organisms, 
  while 
  others 
  feed 
  on 
  animals 
  which 
  either 
  consume 
  them 
  

   directly 
  or 
  at 
  some 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  proximate 
  stage 
  find 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  

   chain 
  of 
  elaboration 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  supply. 
  

  

  The 
  immediately 
  important 
  commercial 
  fishes 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  line 
  

   trawlers 
  are 
  haddock, 
  cod, 
  and, 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  degree, 
  hake. 
  The 
  same 
  

   market 
  fish 
  with 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  sole 
  " 
  are 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  otter 
  

  

  