THE SEA FISHERIES OF IRELAND. 381 



sailers, are still to be found in all these grounds; but in the Irish Sea the- 

 stock of fish, particularly of soles, is declining, and it is difficult to believe- 

 that in the ultimate interest of the steam trawling industry itself, as well as> 

 that of the public at large, it is not desirable to have protected areas where 

 fish, whose numbers are limited, may have sanctuary, and an opportunity to. 

 propagate their kind. 



Other Fisheries. 



Lobsters are found in considerable numbers wherever the coast is rocky,, 

 and at certain places firms have made ponds for storing them. 



Oysters occur in the sea off the coast, and on the much-indented west 

 coast there have been famous oyster beds. Some are still worked, but 

 there appears to be room for effort in the direction of restoration of stock 

 where the natural beds are absolutely free from pollution. 



Mussels in some districts are largely exported, but for want of means of 

 despatch, fine beds are in some places unworked. 



A very large quantity of periwinkles are exported to England, and to a- 

 very small extent, a prawn fishery is carried on. 



/f//i'5M£ MftCKl/i£L BOAT riOinq to her nets 



III— TYPES OF IRISH FISHING BOATS 



The fishing boats to be found around the Irish coast are of a variety of 

 types. Some are relics of bygone times, and survive because they possess 

 those qualities which make them specially suitable for the work they have 

 to do. Others are of new types, introduced from England, Scotland, and 

 Norway, and provide for the requirements of the new and more elaborate- 

 modes of fishing. 



The boats in use in all countries are more or less the result of evolution - 

 going on for ages, and the type is determined by its environment. The- 

 class of fishing vessel most suitable on one part of the coast may be quite 

 unsuitable on another. When, therefore, the physical conditions and marker 

 facilities have been ignored, attempts to introduce new methods of fishing- 

 have often resulted in failure. 



In the days when saws were unknown, planks were not easy to make, 

 and primitive man, when he wanted to get afloat, had to do one of two > 

 things : he had either to make a canoe by scooping out a solid log, or else 

 to construct a framework of branches of trees and cover it with raw hide. 

 The early Irish, being a pastoral people, found hides ready to hand, and: 



