﻿64 
  

  

  OTTER-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  and, 
  following 
  a 
  suggestion 
  in 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  1906,'' 
  we 
  have 
  calculated 
  

   from 
  these 
  data 
  the 
  hypothetical 
  number 
  of 
  voyages 
  and 
  days' 
  

   absence 
  required 
  to 
  catch 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  taken 
  by 
  English 
  trawlers 
  

   in 
  the 
  North 
  Sea. 
  The 
  following 
  tables 
  are 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  factors 
  so 
  

   derived. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  steam 
  trawlers 
  in 
  England 
  and 
  Wales 
  does 
  

   not 
  appear 
  ascertainable 
  for 
  1891 
  and 
  1898, 
  but 
  there 
  were 
  about 
  500 
  

   in 
  1893 
  and 
  1,116 
  in 
  1899. 
  In 
  1901 
  there 
  were 
  1,096; 
  in 
  1903, 
  1,135; 
  

   in 
  1906, 
  1,254; 
  and 
  in 
  1912, 
  1,341. 
  While 
  this 
  rapid 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  

   fleet 
  was 
  occurring 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  continuous 
  growth 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  

   vessels 
  from 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  41 
  tons 
  in 
  1893 
  to 
  72 
  tons 
  in 
  1912. 
  There 
  

   was, 
  therefore, 
  not 
  only 
  a 
  heavy 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  fleet, 
  but 
  

   also 
  in 
  the 
  fishing 
  power 
  and 
  efficiency 
  of 
  its 
  units. 
  Not 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  

   vessels 
  fished 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  fished 
  both 
  there 
  

   and 
  elsewhere. 
  We 
  have 
  no 
  data 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  fishing 
  there 
  

   in 
  any 
  year, 
  but 
  for 
  1903 
  and 
  later 
  years 
  there 
  is 
  available 
  the 
  more 
  

   specific 
  information 
  concerning 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  landings 
  and 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  voyages 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  paragraphs. 
  

  

  Total 
  Number 
  of 
  Days' 
  Absence 
  and 
  the 
  Total 
  Number 
  of 
  Voyages 
  (Land- 
  

   INGS) 
  BY 
  Steam 
  Trawlers 
  Fishing 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Sea 
  from 
  Ports 
  on 
  the 
  

   East 
  Coast 
  of 
  England. 
  

  

  Periods. 
  

  

  Number 
  during- 
  

  

  First 
  year. 
  Last 
  year, 
  

  

  Loss. 
  

  

  Number. 
  Per 
  cent 
  

  

  Total 
  days' 
  absence: 
  

  

  1903-1900 
  

  

  1906-1912 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  voyages 
  (landings): 
  

  

  1903-1906 
  

  

  1906-1912 
  

  

  256,228 
  

   225,923 
  

  

  36,852 
  

   36,474 
  

  

  225,923 
  

   213, 
  286 
  

  

  36,474 
  

   36, 
  118 
  

  

  30,305 
  

   12,637 
  

  

  378 
  

   356 
  

  

  11.8 
  

   5.5 
  

  

  LO 
  

   .9 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  days' 
  absence 
  from 
  port 
  has 
  decreased, 
  while 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  landings 
  has 
  remained 
  practically 
  stationary. 
  The 
  av- 
  

   erage 
  length 
  of 
  voyages, 
  therefore, 
  has 
  decreased 
  from 
  6.95 
  days 
  in 
  

   1903 
  to 
  5.73 
  days 
  in 
  1912, 
  a 
  development 
  probably 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  steaming 
  and 
  fishing 
  gear 
  and 
  improvement 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  

   efficiency 
  of 
  the 
  vessels 
  and 
  their 
  gear. 
  That 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  land- 
  

   ings 
  has 
  not 
  increased 
  with 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  and 
  power 
  

   of 
  English 
  trawlers 
  indicates 
  that 
  to 
  a 
  relatively 
  greater 
  extent 
  than 
  

   formerly 
  the 
  vessels 
  are 
  fishing 
  in 
  regions 
  other 
  than 
  the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  

   a 
  fact 
  known 
  from 
  other 
  sources 
  of 
  information. 
  

  

  'Annual 
  Report 
  Sea 
  Fisheries, 
  England 
  and 
  Wales, 
  1906, 
  pp. 
  viii-xi. 
  

  

  