8 FISHERIES OF THE NORTH SEA 



With the advent of the war the first or 

 experimental age of our modern fisheries 

 was completed : at that time British 

 fishing had taken its position as one of our 

 great industries, and had attained a place 

 of unchallenged supremacy in the world's 

 maritime efforts of food production. In 

 the usual course of events we should have 

 continued on a path of gradual progress, 

 and in the stress of work the changes would 

 have passed by without notice. The war 

 cut in. With the almost complete stoppage 

 through war conditions, the curtain has 

 fallen on the empirical stages, and when 

 peace comes it will rise on a new act and 

 perhaps disclose quite a different drama. 

 Changed conditions, different methods, in- 

 creased supplies and demands will operate ; 

 the cost of all materials required will be 

 advanced, wages will be higher ; the 

 workers, a great proportion of whom will 

 be fresh to the industry, will attack old 

 problems in a new way ; many of the old- 

 abandoned fishing banks will again become 

 profitable. All are changes of great im- 

 portance and require to be carefully 

 examined before the period of recon- 



