﻿52 
  

  

  OTTER-TEAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  Average 
  Prices 
  of 
  Fresh 
  Bottom 
  or 
  Bank 
  Fishes 
  Sold 
  at 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  

   Fish 
  Exchange, 
  Boston, 
  1909 
  to 
  1914, 
  Inclusive. 
  

  

  It 
  appears 
  from 
  this 
  table 
  that 
  between 
  1909, 
  when 
  there 
  was 
  but 
  

   one 
  steam 
  trawler 
  fishing, 
  and 
  1913, 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  which 
  10 
  

   such 
  vessels 
  were 
  employed, 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  prices 
  of 
  

   all 
  sizes 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  demersal 
  fishes, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  scrod 
  

   cod. 
  This 
  increase 
  manifested 
  itself 
  in 
  all 
  years 
  excepting 
  19l2, 
  

   when 
  there 
  was 
  the 
  largest 
  catch 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  record, 
  and 
  the 
  

   prices 
  of 
  haddock 
  and 
  scrod 
  haddock 
  fell 
  below 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  preced- 
  

   ing 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  years. 
  The 
  figures 
  for 
  1914, 
  however, 
  show 
  a 
  fall 
  in 
  the 
  

   prices 
  for 
  all 
  sizes 
  of 
  cod 
  and 
  haddock 
  and 
  a 
  rise 
  in 
  the 
  prices 
  for 
  

   large 
  and 
  small 
  hake 
  and 
  for 
  " 
  sole." 
  It 
  is 
  deduced 
  from 
  a 
  combi- 
  

   nation 
  of 
  the 
  data 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  two 
  sets 
  of 
  tables 
  that 
  within 
  the 
  

   past 
  few 
  years 
  the 
  advance 
  in 
  the 
  prices 
  of 
  cod 
  and 
  haddock 
  as 
  a 
  

   whole 
  has 
  been 
  slightly 
  retarded 
  by 
  the 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  

   and 
  cheaper 
  fish 
  brought 
  in 
  by 
  the 
  steam 
  trawlers. 
  

  

  It 
  must 
  be 
  stated, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  used 
  

   for 
  a 
  sufficient 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  in 
  American 
  waters, 
  nor 
  has 
  it 
  attained 
  

   sufficient 
  importance 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  line 
  fisheries 
  to 
  have 
  

   much 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  trend 
  of 
  prices, 
  but 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  conditions 
  

   in 
  Europe 
  throws 
  some 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  subject. 
  

  

  In 
  England 
  and 
  Wales 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  supplanted 
  the 
  beam 
  trawl, 
  

   to 
  the 
  practical 
  exclusion 
  of 
  the 
  latter, 
  about 
  1898. 
  Data 
  dating 
  

   from 
  that 
  time 
  are 
  available 
  as 
  showing 
  the 
  trend 
  of 
  prices 
  of 
  fish 
  

   in 
  the 
  countries 
  named, 
  and 
  these 
  for 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  

   and 
  characteristic 
  species, 
  and, 
  combined, 
  for 
  all 
  fish 
  commonly 
  

   taken 
  in 
  the 
  trawls, 
  are 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  table 
  and 
  diagram; 
  

  

  