﻿54 
  ' 
  OTTEK-TEAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  which 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  growing 
  demand 
  outrunning 
  the 
  supply. 
  In 
  

  

  1912, 
  as 
  is 
  graphically 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  diagram, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  sharp 
  

   upward 
  turn 
  in 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  cheaper 
  fish 
  and 
  a 
  slight 
  rise 
  

   in 
  the 
  more 
  expensive 
  kinds, 
  and 
  this 
  tendency 
  was 
  accentuated 
  in 
  

  

  1913. 
  In 
  the 
  latter 
  year, 
  haddock, 
  hake, 
  and 
  plaice 
  were 
  all 
  con- 
  

   siderably 
  higher 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  year 
  here 
  recorded, 
  lemon 
  soles 
  were 
  

   higher 
  than 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  since 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  separately 
  listed, 
  

   soles 
  and 
  cod 
  were 
  higher 
  than 
  since 
  1901, 
  and 
  demersal 
  fish 
  as 
  

   a 
  Avhole 
  had 
  returned 
  in 
  average 
  price 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  1912. 
  

  

  Therefore, 
  while 
  the 
  average 
  prices 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  species 
  

   of 
  demersal 
  fishes 
  have 
  been, 
  in 
  general, 
  lower 
  since 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  

   supphmted 
  previous 
  methods 
  of 
  fishing, 
  they 
  were 
  in 
  1913, 
  the 
  

   latest 
  year 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  record, 
  higher 
  than 
  in 
  1898, 
  with 
  the 
  

   single 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  cod; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  haddock, 
  hake, 
  

   and 
  plaice, 
  the 
  increase 
  has 
  been 
  large. 
  

  

  It 
  should 
  be 
  noted, 
  also, 
  that 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  cod 
  there 
  has 
  

   been 
  a 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  and 
  more 
  valuable 
  

   sizes 
  since 
  1903, 
  at 
  least, 
  and 
  a 
  corresponding 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  small 
  

   ones. 
  In 
  the 
  plaice, 
  the 
  large 
  size 
  has 
  diminished 
  proportionately 
  

   to 
  both 
  the 
  medium 
  and 
  small. 
  In 
  respect 
  to 
  these 
  species, 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  the 
  increased 
  marketings 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  and 
  cheaper 
  sizes 
  has 
  

   had 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  repress 
  the 
  upward 
  trend 
  of 
  prices, 
  which 
  would 
  

   have 
  been 
  more 
  marked 
  if 
  the 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  sizes 
  in 
  earlier 
  years 
  

   had 
  been 
  maintained. 
  

  

  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  haddock, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  other 
  most 
  important 
  

   trawl-caught 
  fish, 
  the 
  situation 
  is 
  peculiar. 
  The 
  statistics 
  show 
  

   a 
  material 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  large 
  fish 
  landed, 
  a 
  slight 
  

   decrease 
  in 
  the 
  medium 
  size, 
  and 
  a 
  considerable 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  small. 
  As 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  has 
  decreased, 
  

   it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  condition 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  statistics 
  has 
  been 
  

   brought 
  about 
  by 
  the 
  transfer 
  of 
  fish 
  formerly 
  rated 
  as 
  medium 
  to 
  

   the 
  category 
  of 
  large, 
  and 
  of 
  small 
  fish 
  to 
  the 
  medium 
  class. 
  That 
  

   this 
  may 
  be 
  true 
  is 
  indicated 
  further 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  while 
  small 
  

   haddock 
  brought 
  but 
  28 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  large 
  ones 
  in 
  1906, 
  

   they 
  brought 
  75 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  1912 
  and 
  80 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  1913. 
  In 
  later 
  

   years, 
  all 
  three 
  classes 
  have 
  more 
  nearly 
  approached 
  parity 
  in 
  price, 
  

   presumably 
  because, 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  they 
  were 
  more 
  nearly 
  ap- 
  

   proaching 
  parity 
  in 
  dimensions. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  mentioned, 
  however, 
  

   that 
  this 
  evening 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  prices 
  was 
  doubtless 
  due, 
  in 
  some 
  degree, 
  

   to 
  the 
  education 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  to 
  consume 
  smaller 
  fish. 
  Unfortu- 
  

   nately, 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  no 
  fixed 
  or 
  recorded 
  standards 
  of 
  the 
  sizes 
  

   of 
  fishes, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  that 
  the 
  standards 
  vary 
  as 
  between 
  the 
  

   several 
  ports 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  port 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time. 
  In 
  view 
  

   of 
  all 
  considerations, 
  however, 
  we 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  

   all 
  haddock 
  taken 
  has 
  decreased, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  prices 
  would 
  probably 
  

  

  