﻿92 
  OTTER-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  more 
  of 
  each, 
  the 
  statistical 
  facts 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  certainly 
  do 
  not 
  

   indicate 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  yet 
  shown 
  signs 
  of 
  depletion 
  from 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   the 
  otter 
  trawl. 
  

  

  9. 
  We 
  recognize 
  that 
  the 
  conclusions 
  arrived 
  at 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  

   section 
  are 
  necessarily 
  inconclusive 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  that 
  the 
  otter- 
  

   trawl 
  fishery 
  in 
  American 
  waters 
  is 
  too 
  recently 
  established 
  and 
  

   relatively 
  too 
  small 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  very 
  material 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  fish 
  

   supply 
  of 
  the 
  banks 
  frequented. 
  We 
  have 
  therefore 
  examined 
  the 
  

   accessible 
  data 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  fishery 
  in 
  England 
  and 
  Scotland, 
  par- 
  

   ticularly 
  that 
  conducted 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  most 
  intensive 
  

   and 
  has 
  been 
  longest 
  established. 
  We 
  have 
  used 
  the 
  data 
  without 
  

   reference 
  to 
  the 
  opinions 
  others 
  have 
  expressed 
  and 
  have 
  endeavored 
  

   to 
  arrive 
  at 
  independent 
  conclusions 
  without 
  prejudice 
  from 
  previous 
  

   investigations 
  of 
  the 
  subject. 
  While 
  the 
  statistical 
  information, 
  par- 
  

   ticularly 
  that 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  English 
  reports, 
  is 
  more 
  useful 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose 
  than 
  is 
  that 
  pertaining 
  to 
  our 
  own 
  fishery, 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  recent 
  

   years 
  only 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  sufficient 
  detail. 
  Proof 
  respecting 
  the 
  

   depletion 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  deduced. 
  The 
  

   most 
  possible 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  strong 
  pre- 
  

   sumptions 
  one 
  way 
  or 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  10. 
  The 
  cod, 
  haddock, 
  and 
  plaice 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  and 
  

   abundant 
  of 
  the 
  demersal 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  and 
  the 
  three 
  

   combined 
  comprise 
  about 
  75 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  catch. 
  English 
  vessels 
  

   take 
  between 
  50 
  and 
  60 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  of 
  these 
  species 
  landed 
  

   from 
  the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  and 
  the 
  English 
  trawlers 
  alone 
  take 
  from 
  45 
  

   to 
  50 
  per 
  cent. 
  These 
  three 
  fishes 
  are, 
  therefore, 
  the 
  only 
  ones 
  

   which 
  it 
  is 
  important 
  to 
  consider. 
  

  

  The 
  statistical 
  data 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  fisheries 
  indicate 
  by 
  a 
  decrease 
  

   in 
  the 
  total 
  catch, 
  in 
  the 
  average 
  catch 
  per 
  unit 
  of 
  effort, 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  proportion 
  of 
  large 
  fish 
  to 
  the 
  total 
  that 
  probably 
  the 
  plaice 
  

   fishery 
  is 
  being 
  depleted. 
  The 
  first 
  two 
  criteria 
  also 
  point 
  to 
  a 
  

   decrease 
  in 
  the 
  haddock, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  third 
  test 
  fails 
  

   to 
  do 
  so 
  only 
  because 
  a 
  lowering 
  in 
  the 
  standard 
  of 
  sizes 
  makes 
  the 
  

   statistics 
  in 
  this 
  particular 
  misleading. 
  The 
  cod 
  does 
  not 
  show 
  in- 
  

   dications 
  of 
  overfishing, 
  probably 
  because 
  its 
  different 
  habits 
  make 
  

   it 
  less 
  vulnerable 
  to 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  predominant 
  fishery, 
  steam 
  

   trawling. 
  

  

  The 
  statistics 
  of 
  Scotland 
  are 
  less 
  satisfactory 
  for 
  our 
  purpose 
  

   than 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  England, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  obtain 
  sufficient 
  

   separate 
  data 
  for 
  the 
  North 
  Sea. 
  We 
  have 
  therefore 
  considered 
  

   the 
  fuller 
  information 
  obtainable 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  coast, 
  the 
  

   fishery 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  prosecuted 
  mainly 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Sea. 
  The 
  same 
  

   three 
  species 
  are 
  discussed, 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  these 
  by 
  Scotch 
  vessels 
  in 
  

   the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  proper 
  constituting 
  about 
  25 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  

   yield 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  in 
  that 
  sea. 
  The 
  plaice 
  show 
  signs 
  of 
  depletion 
  

  

  