490 CONCLUSION. [CHAP. XL 



by well-devised experiments, all those points in the natural 

 history of the herring and other white fish which clog the 

 prosecution of these particular fisheries. Surely it would 

 not be difficult, as I have already suggested, to construct a 

 sea-pond where we could observe the spawn from the time 

 of its deposit till the period at which it quickened into life ; 

 and we could note the growth of the fish and so fix beyond 

 cavil the period at which our most important food fishes 

 become reproductive. Further, could not the fisherman be 

 made to pay a small sum of money annually by way of licence, 

 he being bound at the same time to give in a schedule to a 

 registrar, or some other officer to be appointed, of the number 

 and gross weight of the different kinds of fish caught, the 

 number of lines and hooks used in the capture, and the time 

 taken to capture them ? Many other changes might be made 

 in the machinery and time of capture ; these, however, I will 

 take another opportunity to point out ; my present purpose 

 has simply been to bring into a focus our various fishing in- 

 dustries and describe to the public the HARVEST OF THE SEA. 



