CONFERENCE ON SOTH JULY, 1883. 



THE EARL OF MILLTOWN in the Chair. 



IRISH FISHERIES AS AN ENGLISH 

 SUPPLY. 



THIS great gathering of fishermen and fish consumers of all 

 nations will be more or less taken advantage of by every 

 civilised community to gauge the opportunities and short- 

 comings in the development of God's greatest gift of 

 sustenance to man a harvest to be gathered without 

 sowing, and, under infinitesimal restrictions, to be annually 

 used to the utmost capacity of natural appetite without fear 

 of annihilation. 



To add my mite of information on the subject from 

 Ireland's point of view is now my task. 



The words of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh at the 

 earliest meeting of the promoters, where he specially 

 alluded to the results which he apprehended would flow 

 from their labours in the stimulation of Irish fishing, are 

 conclusive on the side of what he expected they would be 

 able to do for the coast population in that country; but 

 this is indeed only a small and local element in the 

 consideration of the subject, the main expostulation in- 

 cluding much more serious and Imperial interests. 



I have had in preparing this paper to consider closely 

 the Report of the Inspectors of Irish Fisheries, and I must 

 say a more disheartening job I have never undertaken, 



