THE FISHERIES. 



49 



secure to all exercising the public right an equal 

 chance of capture. 



Some provisions are introduced, giving new and 

 important powers to Boards of Conservators of Fish- 

 eries, constituted under the Act 11 & 12 Vict., chap. 

 92, and the elections to those offices will in future be 

 held triennially. To those Boards the regulation of 

 all local matters connected with the fisheries is con- 

 fided, and it is reasonable to expect that much bene- 

 fit will result, from the increasing interest now taken 

 with regard to them in almost every locality. It 

 Avill probably be necessary to give some additional 

 powers of control to the Commissioners of Fisheries 

 with respect to those Boards, as their functions have 

 been much enlarged, and very onerous duties now 

 devolve upon them. 



An important matter remains to be noticed, namely, 

 the jurisdiction proposed to be given in fishery cases, 

 to the Assistant- Barrister of the County (with appeal 

 to the Judge of Assize). Numerous cases occur at 

 Petty Sessions, where the jurisdiction of the magis- 

 trate is ousted whenever any question of title arises ; 

 an expensive suit then becomes necessary, which is 

 often worse to the proprietor of the fishery than the 

 over-capture of the bag-net. Not to mention nume- 

 rous other cases of interminable htigation in fishery 

 questions, the recent Limerick case of Gahhet v. 

 Clanchy will suffice as an instance ; in that suit, after 

 an expenditure of many thousand pounds in trials at 

 the Assizes, in the Queen's Bench, and in the Court 



