﻿OTTER- 
  TBAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  93 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  heavy 
  decrease 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  yield 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  average 
  catch 
  

   per 
  vessel 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  large 
  fish 
  to 
  the 
  smaller 
  sizes. 
  

   While 
  the 
  haddock 
  has 
  increased 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  catch, 
  the 
  average 
  

   catch 
  per 
  vessel 
  has 
  fluctuated 
  to 
  an 
  extent 
  which 
  makes 
  any 
  deduc- 
  

   tions 
  from 
  the 
  data 
  uncertain; 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  

   relative 
  proportion 
  of 
  large 
  fish 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  total. 
  The 
  cod 
  

   has 
  increased 
  in 
  total 
  catch 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  average 
  catch 
  per 
  vessel, 
  

   but 
  relatively 
  fewer 
  larger 
  fish 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  later 
  years. 
  

  

  Considering 
  the 
  English 
  and 
  Scotch 
  fisheries 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Sea 
  

   together, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  strong 
  presumption 
  of 
  overfishing 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  

   of 
  the 
  plaice, 
  considerable 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  

   the 
  haddock, 
  and 
  practically 
  none 
  concerning 
  the 
  cod. 
  As 
  the 
  steam 
  

   trawler 
  is 
  overwhelmingly 
  predominant 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  for 
  these 
  

   species, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  held 
  responsible 
  for 
  such 
  overfishing 
  as 
  may 
  

   have 
  occurred. 
  

  

  11. 
  Three 
  regions 
  other 
  than 
  the 
  North 
  Sea 
  support 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   important 
  English 
  trawl 
  fisheries 
  yielding 
  essentially 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  

   which 
  have 
  been 
  discussed. 
  They 
  are 
  Iceland, 
  the 
  White 
  Sea, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Faroe 
  Islands. 
  Separate 
  data 
  concerning 
  them 
  are 
  available 
  for 
  

   years 
  subsequent 
  to 
  1905, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  period 
  covered 
  is 
  too 
  short 
  

   to 
  admit 
  of 
  deductions 
  of 
  much 
  value, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  employed 
  for 
  

   purposes 
  of 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  North 
  Sea. 
  

  

  In 
  Iceland 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  of 
  both 
  haddock 
  and 
  plaice 
  and 
  the 
  

   average 
  catch 
  of 
  each, 
  especially 
  the 
  latter, 
  showed 
  heavy 
  decreases, 
  

   while 
  the 
  cod 
  increased. 
  In 
  all 
  species, 
  but 
  particularly 
  the 
  plaice, 
  

   there 
  was 
  a 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  large 
  sizes 
  to 
  the 
  total. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  White 
  Sea 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  of 
  all 
  species 
  increased 
  from 
  

   1906 
  to 
  1912, 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  in 
  part 
  due 
  to 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  fishery 
  

   activity. 
  As 
  measured 
  by 
  the 
  quantity 
  caught 
  per 
  trip 
  there 
  was 
  

   an 
  enormous 
  increase 
  in 
  cod, 
  a 
  heavy 
  increase 
  in 
  haddock, 
  and 
  a 
  

   heavy 
  decrease 
  in 
  plaice. 
  The 
  proportion 
  of 
  large 
  fish 
  was 
  approxi- 
  

   mately 
  maintained 
  in 
  the 
  cod 
  and 
  plaice 
  but 
  was 
  much 
  smaller 
  in 
  

   later 
  years 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  haddock, 
  thus 
  indicating 
  that 
  the 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  that 
  species 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  saving 
  of 
  smaller 
  

   fishes 
  previously 
  discarded 
  or 
  unsought. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Faroes 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  slight 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  average 
  catch 
  

   of 
  cod 
  per 
  trip, 
  owing 
  mainly 
  to 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  smaller 
  sizes, 
  

   and 
  a 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  haddock, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  similar 
  increase 
  

   in 
  the 
  take 
  of 
  smaller 
  fish. 
  The 
  catch 
  of 
  plaice 
  was 
  negligible 
  in 
  

   all 
  years. 
  

  

  The 
  data 
  from 
  these 
  regions 
  are 
  therefore 
  in 
  general 
  confirma- 
  

   tory 
  of 
  those 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  namely, 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  pre- 
  

   sumptive 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  plaice, 
  a 
  probable 
  smaller 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  

   haddock, 
  and 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  cod. 
  

  

  