﻿OTTEK-TEAWL 
  PISHEEY. 
  91 
  

  

  larger 
  quantities 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  and 
  cheaper 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  cod 
  family, 
  

   provided, 
  of 
  course, 
  that 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  induce 
  the 
  depletion 
  of 
  the 
  

   ultimate 
  supply. 
  Both 
  trawlers 
  and 
  liners 
  catch 
  considerable 
  quan- 
  

   tities 
  of 
  edible 
  species 
  for 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  failed 
  to 
  develop 
  a 
  

   market. 
  

  

  7. 
  There 
  is 
  but 
  little 
  evidence 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  

   the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  fisheries 
  has 
  had 
  any 
  material 
  effect 
  

   in 
  keeping 
  down 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  fish. 
  Since 
  1898 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  

   gradual, 
  although 
  fluctuating, 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  price 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  for 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  fish. 
  The 
  haddock 
  has 
  increased 
  propor- 
  

   tionately 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  other 
  demersal 
  fishes 
  and 
  since 
  1908 
  has 
  kept 
  

   close 
  to 
  or 
  below 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  that 
  year, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  probably, 
  to 
  no 
  

   small 
  extent, 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  small 
  and 
  cheaper 
  fish 
  

   landed 
  by 
  the 
  trawlers. 
  The 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  trawlers, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  is 
  too 
  small 
  in 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  total 
  production 
  of 
  demersal 
  

   fisheries 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  material 
  effect 
  on 
  prices, 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  therefore 
  

   examined 
  the 
  price 
  statistics 
  of 
  England 
  to 
  determine 
  what 
  light 
  

   they 
  shed 
  on 
  the 
  subject. 
  We 
  find 
  that 
  while, 
  apparently, 
  the 
  otter 
  

   trawl 
  reduced 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  production 
  of 
  fish 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  

   after 
  it 
  become 
  paramount 
  in 
  the 
  fishery 
  of 
  that 
  country, 
  it 
  did 
  it 
  to 
  

   some 
  extent 
  by 
  reducing 
  the 
  standards 
  of 
  size, 
  and 
  that 
  recently 
  there 
  

   has 
  been 
  a 
  rapid 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  prices 
  of 
  fish 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  higher 
  

   than 
  ever. 
  Undoubtedly 
  the 
  general 
  increase 
  in 
  commodity 
  prices 
  

   has 
  had 
  some 
  effect. 
  

  

  8. 
  We 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  discover 
  from 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  offi- 
  

   cial 
  records, 
  extending 
  from 
  1891 
  to 
  1914, 
  any 
  evidence 
  whatever 
  

   that 
  the 
  banks 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  American 
  otter 
  trawlers 
  are 
  being 
  

   depleted 
  of 
  their 
  fishes. 
  Since 
  1905 
  when 
  the 
  first 
  steam 
  trawler 
  

   began 
  operations 
  off 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  coast 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  fluctua- 
  

   tions 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  yield 
  of 
  the 
  bank 
  fisheries, 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  no 
  

   more 
  violent 
  nor 
  significant 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  period 
  before 
  1905 
  when 
  

   lines 
  alone 
  were 
  used. 
  In 
  fact, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  heaviest 
  yields 
  recorded 
  

   in 
  the 
  line 
  fishery 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  years 
  since 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  was 
  

   introduced, 
  and, 
  while 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  line 
  fishemen 
  in 
  1914 
  on 
  Georges 
  

   Bank, 
  South 
  Channel, 
  and 
  Nantucket 
  Shoals, 
  where 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl- 
  

   ers 
  operate, 
  was 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  year 
  1905, 
  

   this 
  was 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  proportionate 
  reduction 
  in 
  the 
  intensity 
  

   of 
  the 
  fishery 
  as 
  measured 
  by 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  trips 
  to 
  these 
  grounds. 
  

   The 
  average 
  catches 
  per 
  trip 
  of 
  haddock 
  and 
  of 
  cod, 
  haddock, 
  and 
  

   hake 
  combined 
  have 
  been 
  considerably 
  higher 
  since 
  1910 
  than 
  for 
  

   any 
  similar 
  period 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  record. 
  The 
  average 
  catch 
  of 
  

   cod 
  per 
  trip 
  to 
  these 
  banks 
  has 
  decreased 
  since 
  1910, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  higher 
  

   than 
  for 
  any 
  similar 
  period 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  otter 
  trawl- 
  

   ing. 
  As 
  the 
  liners 
  catch, 
  proportionately, 
  more 
  cod 
  and 
  the 
  trawlers 
  

   more 
  haddock 
  on 
  these 
  banks, 
  and 
  as 
  quantitatively 
  the 
  liners 
  catch 
  

  

  