56 



that the regulations were efficient, that you were really 

 doing something for the fishery, and not burdening the 

 fishermen with useless and vexatious regulations, it would 

 be better to leave the question of protecting sea fisheries 

 alone. 



Mr. BRADY (Inspector of Irish Fisheries) said he might 

 say a word on the question of the protection of Salmon 

 fisheries, as compared with the protection of sea fisheries. 

 He belonged to the sister country, and they had had a 

 great deal of experience with regard to the protection of 

 both sea fisheries and Salmon fisheries. There were very 

 valuable fisheries in Ireland, and a series of Acts of Parlia- 

 ment had been passed for their protection, though pre- 

 viously to 1 848 there was no machinery for putting them 

 in force. The Act of 1848, however, gave the machinery, 

 and imposed licence duties on all engines used for the 

 capture of Salmon ; the amount of revenue thus derived 

 being over 10,000 per annum, and the effect had been 

 that within his own official experience the Salmon fisheries 

 had increased from about 2,000 a year to nearly 6,000. 

 With regard to sea fisheries, although he was as great an 

 advocate as Mr. Wilmot could be for the protection of any 

 industry where it was required, he quite agreed with Pro- 

 fessor Huxley that if there was any doubt whatever about 

 the effectiveness of legislation, he should not hamper 

 fishermen by restrictions which might be perfectly useless. 

 The Act of 1842 gave power to the Commissioners in 

 Ireland to impose restrictions on sea fisheries as well as 

 Salmon fisheries, and certain restrictions were placed in 

 certain bays on certain modes of fishing, particularly 

 trawling. In one bay the restrictions were introduced in 

 1843, and were continued till 1862. At that time a change 

 in the Government took place, new ideas came in, and an 



