﻿OTTER-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  95 
  

  

  trawl; 
  and 
  for 
  an 
  indication 
  of 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  expected 
  from 
  it 
  we 
  

   must 
  have 
  recourse 
  to 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  in 
  other 
  places. 
  

   Otter 
  trawling 
  has 
  been 
  practiced 
  longest 
  and 
  has 
  attained 
  its 
  great- 
  

   est 
  development 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  where 
  there 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  ample 
  

   evidence 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  being 
  carried 
  on 
  to 
  excess 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  fisheries 
  for 
  

   certain 
  fishes 
  have 
  suffered 
  in 
  consequence. 
  The 
  problem 
  before 
  us, 
  

   therefore, 
  is 
  to 
  suggest 
  measures 
  for 
  the 
  prevention 
  of 
  the 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  similar 
  conditions 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  fisheries. 
  

  

  The 
  injurious 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  otter-trawl 
  fishery 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Sea 
  

   are 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  part 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   small 
  fish, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  proposed 
  by 
  certain 
  European 
  authorities 
  

   to 
  reduce 
  its 
  destructiveness 
  by 
  increasing 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  meshes 
  of 
  

   the 
  net 
  to 
  dimensions 
  which 
  will 
  permit 
  the 
  escape 
  of 
  fishes 
  too 
  small 
  

   to 
  market. 
  We 
  do 
  not 
  regard 
  this 
  as 
  an 
  effective 
  or 
  feasible 
  pro- 
  

   posal 
  for 
  the 
  reasons 
  (1) 
  that 
  the 
  meshes 
  tend 
  to 
  close 
  as 
  the 
  drag 
  

   on 
  the 
  net 
  increases 
  with 
  its 
  burden, 
  (2) 
  that 
  the 
  accumulation 
  of 
  

   fishes 
  in 
  the 
  cod 
  end 
  closes 
  the 
  avenues 
  of 
  escape 
  there, 
  and 
  (3) 
  that 
  

   the 
  fishes 
  in 
  any 
  event 
  would 
  not 
  attempt 
  to 
  pass 
  through 
  in 
  large 
  

   numbers 
  until 
  the 
  net 
  is 
  being 
  hauled 
  in, 
  when 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  

   escape 
  would 
  be 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  minimum. 
  An 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  

   the 
  mesh 
  in 
  the 
  cod 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  net 
  would 
  probably 
  result 
  in 
  an 
  

   increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fish 
  gilled, 
  thus 
  not 
  only 
  inducing 
  little 
  

   mitigation 
  of 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  young 
  fishes 
  but 
  entailing 
  additional 
  

   labor 
  in 
  fishing 
  the 
  apparatus. 
  

  

  There 
  remain 
  three 
  other 
  methods 
  of 
  regulation 
  : 
  The 
  absolute 
  pro- 
  

   hibition 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  or 
  similar 
  apparatus; 
  the 
  re- 
  

   striction 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  nets 
  or 
  vessels 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  employed; 
  

   and 
  the 
  restriction 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  apparatus 
  may 
  be 
  used. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  and 
  most 
  drastic 
  measure 
  would 
  of 
  course 
  be 
  most 
  effec- 
  

   tive, 
  but 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  excessive 
  use 
  of 
  

   the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  which 
  has 
  caused 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  North 
  Sea 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  

   regard 
  it 
  as 
  justifiable 
  to 
  prohibit 
  its 
  use 
  on 
  the 
  American 
  banks 
  

   where 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  injurious. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  our 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  information 
  indicates 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  fishing 
  with 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  

   but 
  overfishing 
  which 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  guarded 
  against. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  

   undoubtedly 
  more 
  destructive 
  than 
  line 
  fishing 
  is 
  not 
  sufficient 
  for 
  

   its 
  condemnation,' 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  objection 
  can 
  be 
  raised 
  with 
  more 
  or 
  

   less 
  validity 
  to 
  almost 
  any 
  other 
  net 
  fishery, 
  and 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  

   to 
  what 
  extent 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  young 
  fishes 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  seas 
  in 
  

   reality 
  injures 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  

  

  The 
  regulation 
  or 
  restriction 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  vessels 
  or 
  trawls 
  

   permissible 
  in 
  the 
  fishery 
  we 
  regard 
  as 
  objectionable 
  for 
  the 
  reason 
  

   that 
  it 
  would 
  establish 
  an 
  actual 
  or 
  virtual 
  monopoly. 
  The 
  regula- 
  

   ticm 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  effective 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  issuance 
  of 
  a 
  limited 
  number 
  

  

  