THE LANDINGS 107 



the landings vary greatly each year, it is 

 useless to endeavour to give more correct 

 figures. The number of men and boys 

 employed in the total fishery is about a 

 hundred thousand. 



In Scotland the superintendence of the 

 fisheries is under the Fishery Board, who 

 administer their powers and extend their 

 protection very ably. Superintendence of 

 English fishing interests is tacked on to the 

 Board of Agriculture, from whom it is 

 impossible to expect any thorough in- 

 terest. The Board of Agriculture usually 

 have their hands too well occupied with the 

 wrongs, real or imaginary, of farmers and 

 landowners, to have any time or inclina- 

 tion for the prosecution of the fisheries : 

 the result is that the industry has received 

 very scanty attention from the country, 

 and little is therefore known of its magni- 

 tude. 



The chief method of obtaining white fish, 

 that is, all kinds of sea fish, with the excep- 

 tion of herrings and shellfish, is by trawling, 

 and this is now done almost entirely with 

 the aid of steam. The modern steam 

 trawler is a strongly built steel "vessel 



