﻿OTTEE-TEAWL 
  FISHEEY. 
  

  

  59 
  

  

  Prior 
  to 
  1906 
  there 
  is 
  very 
  little 
  specific 
  information 
  furnished 
  

   in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  fisheries 
  on 
  these 
  grounds, 
  but 
  such 
  data 
  as 
  are 
  

   available 
  indicate 
  the 
  increasing 
  relative 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  

   distant 
  regions 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  North 
  Sea. 
  The 
  landings 
  of 
  

   fish 
  at 
  Grimsby, 
  Hull, 
  and 
  Boston, 
  the 
  ports 
  from 
  which 
  these 
  fish- 
  

   eries 
  were 
  predominant, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  landings 
  at 
  six 
  or 
  

   seven 
  other 
  east 
  coast 
  ports 
  where 
  the 
  North 
  Sea 
  fishery 
  was 
  para- 
  

   mount, 
  showed 
  an 
  increase 
  from 
  about 
  73 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  in 
  

   1891 
  to 
  about 
  82 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  1901. 
  For 
  1903 
  and 
  later 
  years 
  there 
  

   are 
  specific 
  data 
  for 
  the 
  " 
  North 
  Sea 
  " 
  and 
  " 
  Kegions 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   North 
  Sea 
  " 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  all 
  others 
  — 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  table 
  shows 
  the 
  

   proportions 
  of 
  all 
  demersal 
  fish 
  taken 
  by 
  English 
  vessels 
  in 
  these 
  

   two, 
  respectively: 
  

  

  Pebcentile 
  Proportions 
  of 
  Demersal 
  Fishes 
  Caught 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Sea 
  and 
  

   IN 
  Regions 
  Beyond 
  the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  Respectivelt, 
  by 
  English 
  and 
  Welsh 
  

   Vessels. 
  

  

  These 
  complete 
  statistics 
  confirm 
  the 
  deductions 
  from 
  the 
  earlier 
  

   partial 
  data, 
  that 
  the 
  North 
  Sea 
  has 
  rapidly 
  lost 
  in 
  relative 
  impor- 
  

   tance 
  to 
  the 
  whole 
  demersal 
  fishery, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  now 
  lost 
  its 
  for- 
  

   mer 
  dominance. 
  

  

  A 
  discussion 
  of 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  14 
  regions 
  previously 
  named 
  is 
  not 
  

   important 
  to 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  this 
  report. 
  The 
  North 
  Sea, 
  the 
  seat 
  

   of 
  the 
  oldest, 
  most 
  important, 
  and 
  most 
  dominant 
  otter-trawl 
  fishery, 
  

   furnishes 
  the 
  data 
  of 
  most 
  value, 
  and 
  that 
  region 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  at 
  the 
  greatest 
  length, 
  but 
  for 
  purposes 
  of 
  comparison, 
  and 
  

   as 
  a 
  check 
  on 
  the 
  deductions 
  made, 
  it 
  is 
  desirable 
  to 
  analyze 
  the 
  

   information 
  obtainable 
  respecting 
  certain 
  other 
  regions 
  resembling 
  

   it 
  in 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  and 
  the 
  fishes 
  caught. 
  The 
  most 
  

   suitable 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  Iceland, 
  the 
  White 
  Sea, 
  and 
  

   Faroe. 
  The 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  regions, 
  accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  information 
  obtainable, 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Square 
  miles. 
  

  

  North 
  Sea 
  152, 
  500 
  

  

  Iceland 
  36, 
  600 
  

  

  White 
  Sea 
  128, 
  900 
  

  

  Faroe 
  4, 
  950 
  

  

  These 
  areas, 
  certainly 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Sea 
  and 
  probably 
  

   in 
  other 
  cases, 
  are 
  the 
  totals 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   resort, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  least 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  is 
  not 
  equally 
  pro- 
  

   ductive 
  and 
  that 
  some 
  parts 
  may 
  be 
  practically 
  or 
  completely 
  barren 
  

  

  