﻿88 
  OTTER-TEAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  here 
  shown 
  a 
  percentile 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  of 
  all 
  

   categories 
  and 
  important 
  species 
  of 
  demersal 
  fishes, 
  greatest 
  among 
  

   the 
  unclassified 
  fishes 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  general 
  categories 
  and 
  in 
  had- 
  

   dock 
  among 
  the 
  specific 
  kinds. 
  As 
  this 
  increase 
  occurred 
  pari 
  passu, 
  

   with 
  a 
  heavy 
  increase 
  in 
  fishing 
  activity 
  or 
  power, 
  any 
  significance 
  

   which 
  the 
  facts 
  presented 
  may 
  possess 
  can 
  be 
  shown 
  only 
  by 
  reducing 
  

   the 
  data 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  years 
  to 
  a 
  comparative 
  basis. 
  

  

  Two 
  standards 
  of 
  fishing 
  activity 
  suggest 
  themselves 
  — 
  the 
  length 
  

   of 
  line 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  respective 
  years 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  land- 
  

   ings, 
  but 
  the 
  two 
  sets 
  of 
  results 
  obtained 
  by 
  reducing 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  

   to 
  the 
  average 
  per 
  1,000 
  yards 
  of 
  line 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  per 
  landing 
  at 
  

   those 
  ports 
  in 
  which 
  both 
  are 
  obtainable 
  are 
  contradictory 
  and 
  un- 
  

   reconcilable 
  on 
  any 
  basis 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  conceive. 
  

   This 
  throws 
  doubt 
  on 
  any 
  deductions 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  drawn 
  in 
  re- 
  

   spect 
  to 
  the 
  data 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  steam 
  liners 
  as 
  a 
  whole. 
  

   The 
  uncertainties 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  lengths 
  of 
  the 
  voyages 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  hand 
  

   and 
  to 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  lines 
  fished 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  make 
  a 
  further 
  

   discussion 
  futile, 
  and 
  the 
  subject 
  is 
  mentioned 
  here 
  merely 
  to 
  show 
  

   that 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  considered. 
  

  

  CHANGES 
  IN 
  THE 
  UNCLASSIFIED 
  FISHES. 
  

  

  The 
  Scottish 
  reports 
  distinguish 
  between 
  two 
  general 
  groups 
  of 
  

   demersal 
  fishes, 
  classified 
  and 
  unclassified, 
  the 
  former 
  including 
  

   round 
  fishes, 
  flat 
  fishes, 
  and 
  skates. 
  The 
  classified 
  fishes 
  embrace 
  all 
  

   of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  kinds, 
  which 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  are 
  separately 
  

   designated, 
  while 
  the 
  unclassified 
  fish 
  comprise 
  a 
  miscellaneous 
  lot 
  

   not 
  separately 
  listed 
  and 
  of 
  minor 
  importance 
  in 
  both 
  quantity 
  and 
  

   value. 
  

  

  Until 
  1903 
  there 
  were 
  but 
  11 
  or 
  12 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  classified 
  lists, 
  but 
  

   in 
  1904 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  were 
  transferred 
  from 
  the 
  unclassified 
  

   category, 
  the 
  total 
  quantity 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  thereafter 
  somewhat 
  re- 
  

   duced 
  to 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  categories. 
  These 
  changes 
  are 
  in 
  

   themselves 
  significant, 
  but 
  when 
  accompanied 
  by 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  

   ratio 
  of 
  unclassified 
  to 
  demersal 
  fishes 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  they 
  indicate 
  that 
  

   the 
  supply 
  of 
  classified 
  fishes 
  is 
  unequal 
  to 
  the 
  demand; 
  and 
  when 
  

   the 
  catch 
  of 
  certain 
  species, 
  as 
  for 
  instance 
  the 
  haddock 
  and 
  the 
  

   plaice, 
  exhibit 
  a 
  falling 
  off, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  in 
  preceding 
  pages, 
  

   it 
  means 
  not 
  that 
  the 
  commercial 
  incentive 
  to 
  catch 
  them 
  has 
  been 
  

   lessened, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  supply 
  is 
  insufficient. 
  

  

  This 
  subject 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  considered 
  further 
  here 
  than 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  

   since 
  1904, 
  when 
  the 
  unclassified 
  fishes 
  were 
  reduced 
  by 
  transfer, 
  

   their 
  ratio 
  to 
  all 
  demersal 
  fislies 
  has 
  increased 
  from 
  0.5 
  per 
  cent 
  to 
  

   4.2 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  1906, 
  4.9 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  1910, 
  and 
  4.6 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  1912. 
  

  

  