THE 



FISHING INDUSTRY 



CHAPTER I 



IXTRODUCTIOX 



Ix its essential features the story of the gradual rise and 

 development of the fishing industry closely resembles 

 that of its sister industry, agriculture. In both cases 

 man became skilled in harvesting long before he under- 

 stood anything of the art of cultivation. Primitive man 

 roamed from place to place in the wake of the annual 

 wave of harvest, gathering wild crops of grain, berries 

 and fruits. Ultimately he became alive to the signifi- 

 cance of seed, and the nomad settled down to raise 

 crops year after year in the same place. Gradually he 

 acquired a knowledge of the conditions of temperature, 

 moisture, and quality of soil that favoured the growth 

 of his plants. Finally, he discovered the principle of the 

 rotation of crops, and, by this, not only increased the 

 productivity of his land but also laid the foundations of 

 a systematic agriculture. Of recent years agriculture 

 has been rapidly developing into a science. Chemistry, 

 physics, botany, plant physiology, and bacteriology, all 

 contribute increasingly to a full understanding of the 

 inner processes of the growing plant, and indicate more 

 and more clearly the exact relations that exist between 

 the conditions of growth and the character and amount 

 of the resulting product. 



