52 FISHERIES OF THE NORTH SEA 



national importance. Times have changed. 

 It might be of great interest to our Govern- 

 ment to fit out a trawler of large size for 

 the special purpose of investigating new 

 grounds and making a systematic survey 

 of the commercial possibilities of their ex- 

 ploitation. Taking voyages into the Arctic 

 shallow waters and bringing back a cargo 

 of fish with each journey, it might be 

 possible to make ten such voyages into 

 different areas each year. The cost of 

 running such expeditions need not exceed 

 20,000 per annum, and this might be 

 recovered in a great measure by the 

 sale of the fish caught. A table of 

 expenses might be made and the com- 

 mercial possibilities of trawling virgin 

 banks fully explored. The result of 

 these investigations should give invalu- 

 able data for opening out new routes 

 and new grounds and thus greatly 

 extending the industry. 



In comparing agriculture with aqui- 

 culture let us imagine that while harvest- 

 ing the produce of the British Isles we can 

 drain the water off the North Sea, leaving, 

 of course, all the suspended matter. We 



