CHRISTIANIA CONFERENCE 55 



fold in ten years, the catch of trawled fish had only 

 increased 30 per cent. In 1901 the inspectors of 

 fisheries provided a table contrasting for ten years 

 the annual supply of trawled fish at Grimsby, Hull, 

 and Boston (which receive the products of the Icelandic 

 fisheries), with that of other East Coast ports which 

 derive their fish exclusively from the North Sea. In 

 the former ports the supply had increased from year 

 to year, while at the other ports the supply during 

 the years 1895-1900 was in no year so great as in the 

 least productive of the years 1890-1895. The fisher- 

 men's case was at last made out ; and in 1902 the late 

 Government decided to participate in the investiga- 

 tions recommended by the Christiania Conference 

 in 1901 for the purpose of formulating international 

 measures for the improvement of the North Sea 

 fisheries. 



It is satisfactory to turn from the past records of 

 neglect, from the supineness of the authorities, the 

 imperfections of the statistics, the inadequate pittance 

 devoted to investigations, to the progress which has 

 taken place since the Government decided to devote a 

 reasonable proportion of public funds to the improve- 

 ment of knowledge on fishery subjects. The collection 

 of official statistics has been reorganized on all our 

 coasts on a system which aims at obtaining complete 

 accounts of the results of each voyage of every first- 

 class fishing-boat ; the catches of trawlers and liners 

 are now distinguished ; the quantities of fish caught 

 in the North Sea are distinguished from those taken 

 beyond that area; the quantities of large, medium, 

 and small fish are separately recorded in important 

 cases ; the numbers, tonnage, and landings of different 

 classes of fishing-vessels are separately enumerated. 



It is interesting to note the first results of the more 

 exact system introduced in 1903. Considering only the 

 fish caught in the North Sea and landed on the East 



