ioo BRITISH FISHERIES 



responsible for the superintendence of the English 

 sea-fisheries. 



We have to consider not only a central but also 

 a local regulation of the English fisheries. This 

 latter was provided in 1888. Apparently it was 

 on account of the satisfaction experienced by the 

 Government of the time in having passed the 

 Local Government Act of that year, that the same 

 principle was applied to the regulation of the 

 fisheries. There was no precedent for such a 

 course, and there were strong reasons why the 

 system in existence in Scotland should also be 

 applied to England, as had been suggested by the 

 Trawling Commission of 1885. The Sea-Fisheries 

 Regulation Act of 1888, however, led to the 

 establishment of a series of local fishery authorities, 

 to whom the actual regulation of the English in- 

 dustry was committed. Under this Act, and two 

 others the Sea-Fisheries Act of 1891, and the 

 Sea-Fisheries (Shell-fish) Regulation Act of 1895 

 the English system of sea-fisheries regulation 

 grew up. These Acts gave the county and 

 borough councils powers to establish Local 

 Fisheries Committees for the regulation of the 

 industry in defined areas. On application by one 

 or more of these authorities, the Board of Trade 

 (and from 1903 the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries) had power to issue an Order for the 

 creation of a district committee, and define the area 

 of sea-coast and sea under the jurisdiction of the 



