﻿OTTEK-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  69 
  

  

  English 
  trawlers 
  take 
  about 
  45 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  demersal 
  fish, 
  and 
  

   rather 
  more 
  than 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  cod, 
  haddock, 
  and 
  plaice 
  taken 
  by 
  

   all 
  nations 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Sea. 
  

  

  Exact 
  data 
  respecting 
  the 
  activities 
  and 
  catch 
  of 
  this 
  fleet, 
  which 
  

   are 
  available 
  since 
  1902 
  only, 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  average 
  catch 
  of 
  demersal 
  

   fishes, 
  per 
  voyage 
  and 
  per 
  day's 
  absence 
  from 
  port, 
  has 
  materially 
  

   decreased 
  between 
  1903 
  and 
  1912, 
  and 
  this 
  decrease 
  has 
  occurred 
  in 
  

   both 
  round 
  fishes 
  and 
  flat 
  fishes. 
  There 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  presumptive 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  the 
  depletion 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  as 
  a 
  whole. 
  

  

  Cod, 
  haddock, 
  and 
  plaice 
  combuied 
  constitute 
  about 
  80 
  per 
  cent 
  

   of 
  the 
  demersal 
  fishes 
  caught 
  by 
  English 
  vessels 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  

   and 
  they 
  represent 
  an 
  almost 
  equal 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  by 
  all 
  

   countries 
  in 
  those 
  waters. 
  Of 
  these 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  cod 
  shows 
  an 
  

   increase 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  averages 
  per 
  voyage 
  and 
  per 
  

   day's 
  absence, 
  the 
  only 
  sign 
  of 
  depletion 
  appearing 
  in 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  

   the 
  proportional 
  catch 
  of 
  large 
  fi&hes 
  and 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  of 
  small 
  ones. 
  

  

  The 
  haddock 
  shows 
  indications 
  of 
  depletion 
  in 
  the 
  heavy 
  and 
  con- 
  

   sistent 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  catch, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  average 
  catches 
  per 
  

   voyage 
  and 
  per 
  clay's 
  absence. 
  Statistically 
  it 
  shows 
  but 
  slight 
  indi- 
  

   cations 
  of 
  overfishing 
  in 
  the 
  ratios 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  sizes, 
  but 
  we 
  believe 
  

   this 
  indication 
  would 
  be 
  more 
  pronounced 
  if 
  the 
  standards 
  of 
  sizes 
  

   had 
  been 
  maintained 
  on 
  equality 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  earlier 
  years. 
  The 
  

   plaice, 
  by 
  every 
  method 
  of 
  examination 
  which 
  the 
  data 
  will 
  permit 
  

   us 
  to 
  apply, 
  shows 
  unmistakable 
  signs 
  of 
  depletion. 
  

  

  We 
  believe, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  overfishing 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  both 
  

   haddock 
  and 
  plaice, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  consideration 
  of 
  its 
  overwhelming 
  

   predominance 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  is 
  responsible. 
  The 
  cod, 
  being 
  a 
  rapa- 
  

   cious, 
  more 
  nomadic 
  fish, 
  and 
  less 
  distinctly 
  a 
  bottom 
  dweller, 
  is 
  not 
  

   affected. 
  

  

  ICELAND. 
  

  

  The 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  steam-trawl 
  fisheries 
  in 
  Iceland 
  

   was 
  second 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Sea 
  only 
  in 
  both 
  1900 
  and 
  1912, 
  

   and 
  the 
  steam-line 
  fishery 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  held 
  first 
  place 
  in 
  both 
  years 
  

   among 
  the 
  14 
  regions 
  enumerated 
  in 
  the 
  reports. 
  Practically 
  no 
  

   other 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  is 
  pursued 
  there 
  by 
  English 
  vessels, 
  and 
  

   the 
  trawlers 
  took 
  about 
  93 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  in 
  1906 
  and 
  

   about 
  90 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  1912. 
  

  

  In 
  1906 
  there 
  were 
  1,579 
  and 
  in 
  1912 
  there 
  were 
  1,430 
  voyages 
  by 
  

   trawlers, 
  a 
  decrease 
  of 
  about 
  9 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  days' 
  

   absences 
  decreased 
  11 
  per 
  cent, 
  from 
  35,039 
  days 
  in 
  1906 
  to 
  30,919 
  

   clays 
  in 
  1912. 
  The 
  average 
  duration 
  of 
  the 
  voyages 
  was 
  nearly 
  equal 
  

   in 
  the 
  two 
  years, 
  being 
  22.2 
  days 
  in 
  1906 
  and 
  21.6 
  days 
  in 
  1912. 
  

   The 
  total 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  trawlers 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  catch 
  per 
  trip 
  are 
  

   shown 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  tables: 
  

  

  