FISHERY PROBLEMS 



189 



Scotland formerly made reservations in the Firth of Forth, 

 St. Andrew's Bay, Moray Firth, and the Firth of Clyde : 

 for twelve years (1884-96) a little steamer, the Garland, 

 was instructed to trawl there as often as possible. 

 During the first five years the labours of the Garland 

 showed a notable increase of fish ; but this was followed 

 by a no less notable decrease during the second half of 

 the period. Statistics to hand, Mr. Macintosh has 

 indubitably established the fact that the catches of a 

 trawl on the same ground cannot be compared from year 

 to year ; that the years of large yields correspond with a 

 larger number of hauls during the summer, the most 

 favourable season ; that the differences shown are of the 

 category of habitual fluctuations in the yield of the 

 products of the sea. 1 He finally asserts that the yield of 

 fish will continually increase with the increase of fisher- 

 men, the improvement of gear and methods, and the 

 conquest of fresh areas of the sea. The general depopu- 

 lation of the seas is a myth. This I need no longer 

 insist upon ; but I will illustrate it by a particularly 

 striking fact, a veritable experiment of Nature's. Upon 



1 I have designedly chosen two very different methods of fishery 

 for the cod in which the professional skill of the fisherman plays an 

 unequal part. 



