﻿OTTEE-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  49 
  

  

  trips 
  on 
  trawl 
  liners, 
  says: 
  "The 
  captains 
  of 
  all 
  steamers 
  nse 
  care 
  

   in 
  avoiding 
  the 
  trawls 
  of 
  the 
  sail 
  fleet 
  when 
  possible, 
  often 
  taking 
  

   up 
  the 
  net 
  before 
  a 
  haul 
  was 
  finished 
  when 
  they 
  approached 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  

   dories 
  engaged 
  in 
  fishing. 
  On 
  two 
  occasions 
  only 
  did 
  the 
  writer 
  see 
  

   the 
  gear 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  trawlers 
  fouled 
  in 
  the 
  net, 
  both 
  in 
  thick 
  fog, 
  and 
  

   in 
  each 
  case 
  the 
  line 
  was 
  cut 
  and 
  knotted 
  together 
  and 
  put 
  overside 
  

   with 
  no 
  apparent 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  gear." 
  

  

  Mr. 
  John 
  N. 
  Burrows, 
  who 
  made 
  10 
  trips 
  on 
  trawl 
  liners 
  between 
  

   June 
  24 
  and 
  December 
  29, 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  on 
  banks 
  fished 
  by 
  the 
  otter 
  

   trawlers, 
  and 
  served 
  on 
  otter 
  trawlers 
  from 
  April 
  to 
  December, 
  re- 
  

   ports 
  no 
  cases 
  of 
  interference; 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Thomas 
  M. 
  Douthart, 
  who 
  

   made 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  steamers 
  from 
  January 
  IT 
  to 
  May 
  1 
  and 
  

   one 
  trip 
  on 
  a 
  schooner, 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  trawlers 
  make 
  particular 
  effort 
  

   to 
  keep 
  clear 
  of 
  other 
  fishing 
  gear." 
  

  

  The 
  testimony 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  observers 
  was 
  similar, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   doubt 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  1913 
  the 
  damage 
  to 
  trawl 
  lines 
  was 
  neg- 
  

   ligible, 
  and 
  what 
  little 
  did 
  occur 
  was 
  unintentional. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  ECONOMIC 
  AND 
  SOCIOLOGICAL 
  QUESTIONS. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  economic 
  and 
  social 
  effects 
  of 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  charac- 
  

   ter 
  of 
  the 
  bank 
  fisheries, 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  otter 
  trawling, 
  

   are 
  matters 
  which 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  regard 
  as 
  within 
  our 
  province 
  to 
  dis- 
  

   cuss 
  in 
  detail. 
  We 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  unregulated 
  use 
  of 
  otter 
  trawls 
  

   will 
  inevitably 
  result 
  in 
  the 
  practical 
  displacement 
  of 
  the 
  less 
  efficient 
  

   line 
  fishery, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  will 
  induce 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  

   the 
  men 
  manning 
  the 
  fleet, 
  as 
  the 
  substitution 
  of 
  steam 
  for 
  sail 
  power 
  

   has 
  changed 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  crews 
  in 
  the 
  merchant 
  marine 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   Navy. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  probability, 
  in 
  fact 
  almost 
  the 
  certainty, 
  

   that 
  the 
  change 
  would 
  result 
  in 
  a 
  reduction 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  in- 
  

   dividual 
  vessel 
  owners 
  and 
  the 
  concentration 
  of 
  ownership 
  of 
  fishing 
  

   craft 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  a 
  comparatively 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  firms 
  and 
  

   corporations. 
  Whether 
  or 
  not 
  these 
  changes 
  be 
  desirable 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  

   to 
  be 
  judged 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  criteria 
  governing 
  opinion 
  respecting 
  simi- 
  

   lar 
  phenomena 
  affecting 
  other 
  industries. 
  

  

  The 
  regulation 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  is 
  predicated 
  on 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  

   providing 
  and 
  conserving 
  a 
  common 
  food 
  supply, 
  and 
  the 
  special 
  

   protection 
  which 
  it 
  receives 
  at 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  is 
  to 
  

   that 
  end. 
  The 
  consideration 
  of 
  broad 
  subjects 
  of 
  social 
  welfare 
  

   should 
  be 
  divorced 
  from 
  special 
  application, 
  and 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  regard 
  

   them 
  as 
  germane 
  or 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  investigation 
  with 
  which 
  we 
  are 
  

   charged. 
  

  

  It 
  should 
  be 
  indicated, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  changes 
  enumerated 
  

   would 
  have, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  reduction 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  men 
  

   employed 
  on 
  the 
  fishing 
  fleet, 
  certain 
  collateral 
  results 
  of 
  wide 
  reach- 
  

  

  