706 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 





to over fifty miles from the shore, and embracing no less than 

 about 3600 square (geographical) miles of water lying outside 

 the three-mile limit as defined by the North Sea Convention. 

 The Conference also pressed for legislation of a national and 

 international character to prevent the sale and purchase of 

 immature fish, and they defined what they meant by that 

 term. 1 For some time at least the vessels of the great trawl- 

 ing companies abstained from fishing within the large area 

 above referred to, but the voluntary arrangement fell through 

 owing to the action of independent "single-boaters," and the 

 grounds were never effectually closed. The Government went 

 so far to meet the wishes of the trawlers as to issue, through the 

 Foreign Office, invitations from the National Sea Fisheries Pro- 

 tection Association to various Continental Governments to send 

 delegates to a conference in 1890, and representatives from Bel- 

 gium, France, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain 

 attended a meeting at Fishmongers' Hall in that year, but no 

 representative of this country was present in an official capacity. 

 Statements of the usual kind were made as to the impoverish- 

 ment of the fishing -grounds and the necessity of remedial 

 measures in order to keep up the fish supply, and it was 



1 Conference of the Trawl-Fishing Industry of the East Coast Ports, held at 

 Hull, 30th April 1890. 1. "That this Conference of the Trawl-Fishing Industry 

 of the East Coast, consisting of delegates from Hull, Grimsby, Yarmouth, Lowes- 

 toft, Scarboro', and Boston, having realised the enormous loss which the trade has 

 sustained year by year through the wholesale capture and destruction of immature 

 and inedible fish, hereby resolves that the time has come when a strong and united 

 effort should be made to put a stop to this growing evil ; and as a preliminary step 

 in this direction, it is agreed by the whole of the delegates here assembled, for 

 themselves individually and the Companies, Corporations, Fleets, and Associations 

 they represent, to abstain during the coming summer from fishing on the grounds 

 where immature fish are generally caught in great abundance, such grounds being 

 specified in the next Resolution." 2. "That the Fishing Grounds or Nurseries 

 where experience has found immature fish to be most prolific, and which are 

 referred to in the foregoing Resolution, shall be defined as follows : That part of 

 the North Sea the Eastern Boundary of which is the German and Danish Coasts ; 

 the Western Boundary, Longitude 7 deg. 30 min. ; the Northern Boundary, Lati- 

 tude 56 deg. ; the Southern Boundary, 53 deg. 50 min." The third resolution 

 defined immature lemon soles, soles, turbot, brill, and plaice ; and the fourth ex- 

 pressed the opinion that it was " highly necessary for the future wellbeing of the 

 trade, and for the preservation of an important food -supply, that Parliament 

 should be asked to impose restrictions upon the sale and purchase of immature 

 fish " ; and the delegates were instructed to press for legislative interference, 

 national and international. 



