THE PROFIT 267 



and trawling 300 days in the year, will exploit the sea- 

 bottom over an area of some 83,000 acres nearly 130 

 square miles." x We must also remember that in spite 

 of its efficiency it allows 81 small fish to escape through 

 the meshes of the pocket out of every 100 that enter it, so 

 that its efficiency, taking large and small fish together, is 

 19 per cent. The United Kingdom, less Ireland, possesses 

 four-fifths of the steam trawlers of the world. The 

 enormous mass of fish caught by British trawlers may be 

 divided thus : 



Percentage 

 of Total. 



White Sea and Norwegian Coast '57 



Iceland and the Faroes 28^06 



Channel and Irish Sea 475 



Atlantic (as far as Morocco) and the Baltic ... 974 



North Sea 54-87 



If we consider the herring fisheries, the North Sea 

 represents more than 80 per cent, of the total fisheries of the 

 great European nations. The 150 English steam trawlers 

 which work on the Iceland banks bring back 70 tons net 

 of fish apiece after a voyage of twenty days, the voyage 

 to Iceland and back included. Since the introduction of 

 drifters into Icelandic waters the herring harvest, during 

 two and a half months, has increased from 40,000 barrels 

 in 1903 to 120,000 in 1905. The steam fishing boats 

 are the kings of the sea. 



HI 



Let us now consider what I have called the rate of 

 yield in the case of sailing vessels as opposed to steamers. 



We know that in France the sailing vessels take about 

 141,600 tons of fish, and as each steamer takes about 250 

 tons per annum it is therefore obvious that the same 



1 See p. 1 08. 



