CHAPTER XVI 



MARINE PISCICULTURE 



WHEN it became evident that over-fishing of the 

 sea was taking place, and that, as a consequence, 

 certain species of fish were less abundant on the 

 great fishing grounds than was formerly the case, 

 two remedies were suggested and discussed. These 

 were: (i) to impose restrictions on the capture 

 of the young and comparatively valueless stages of 

 certain species ; and (2) to attempt to make fish 

 more abundant by means of artificial culture. Both 

 remedies have, as a matter of fact, been adopted. 

 In the general discussion of the efficacy of these 

 measures, it was agreed that the first would be 

 likely to prove effective, but that there were 

 grave practical difficulties in the way of its general 

 adoption. Restrictive legislation has always been 

 very unwillingly adopted in this country, not only 

 on account of the expense of enforcing it, but 

 also because of the prejudice and ill-feeling which 

 measures of this kind always arouse. Then it 

 could practically be applied to territorial waters 



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