THE FISHERIES IN 1863 9 



north and west coasts of Scotland. A curious 

 anomaly resulted : so long as a trawler worked in 

 territorial waters (where small fish are relatively 

 abundant), he could use small-meshed nets, and 

 catch unsizeable fish, but on the high seas 

 (where unsizeable fish were relatively scarce) he 

 was compelled to use a wide-meshed net. Also, 

 under the Convention Act he was not allowed to 

 use a mesh of less than i f inches square, but under 

 the Act i Geo. I. c. 18, he was compelled to use 

 a mesh of not less than 3^ inches square. Both 

 Acts, be it remembered, were in force at the same 

 time. Fortunately, the fishermen were relieved of 

 the necessity of taking legal opinion as to their 

 liabilities, for there was practically no administration 

 and no supervision. There was no public body in 

 England concerned exclusively with the regulation 

 of the fisheries. The Customs people did indeed 

 enforce, to some extent, the law relating to the 

 numbering of fishing boats, and when numbers of 

 French and English boats were fishing together, 

 the Admiralty sent cruisers to preserve order. 

 The regulations as to the prohibition of Sunday 

 herring fishing and fishing in daylight were 

 observed, but only because these regulations agreed 

 with the wishes of the fishermen, and not by reason 

 of compulsion. Apparently the other regulations 

 in force were ignored. 



A somewhat similar state of things existed in 

 Ireland. In that country the fisheries were in 



