ADMIN ISTEATION OF THE FISHERIES ACT. 39 



fishes themselves; the model fishing-boat with its gear net and 

 set of fishing-lines was also quite a centre of attraction ; the 

 whole display leading people to imagine that we had developed 

 really extensive fisheries ; nor, indeed, was less surprise 

 expressed at the very limited materials and methods of cap- 

 ture. The large collection of oysters claimed the attention 

 of American growers whose oyster-heds were beginning to 

 shoAv signs of decrease, and they threatened to come over and 

 "rent a few hundred miles of our countrj^" The collection 

 embraced samples from no less than sixty-five principal beds, 

 and included specimens of the mud oyster, the rock and drift 

 oyster, and one or two rare species. It is gratifying to be 

 able to record that the Court was on several occasions visited 

 by the Prince and Princess of Wales, and by other members 

 of the P^oyal family. 



E,evertin2: to duties Ivim]^ nearer home, the Commissioners 

 began to find that the fisheries Act of 1881, the administra- 

 tion of which had fallen to them, was so far from perfect as to 

 need material amendment, and they set themselves to the task 

 of preparing a new measure, entitled the "Pisheries and Oyster 

 Culture Bill." They claimed for this Bill that, so far as it 

 particularly concerned the practical fisherman, its j)rovisions 

 were set out with a clearness of expression not always to be 

 found in the existing statute, while at the same time it 

 enacted a manifestly improved method of regulating the 

 oyster fisheries. This Bill was duly presented to the Govern- 

 m.ent of the day, but it never reached the stage of intro- 

 duction to Parliament. The Commission further recommended 

 a survey of the sea bottom being made, with the view to the 

 initiation of trawling experiments. 



About this time the very necessary restrictions which the 

 Commissioners, acting under the authority of the law, had 

 imj^osed upon the fishermen, by closing considerable portions 

 of the fish-producing waters against the operations of netting, 

 were beginning to be felt, and complaints against what 

 was designated in some quarters as harsh and tyrannical 

 action were loud and deep. Besides these restrictions, which 

 compelled fishermen to go farther afield for their fish, the 

 Commissioners found it necessary to wage warfare against 

 the over-length nets, composed of meshes much below the 

 prescribed dimensions, which many of the fisiierm.en per- 

 sisted in using, notwithstanding the liberal provisions in that 

 regard which had been enacted for their convenience by the 



