PROTECTION OF DEEP SEA FISHERIES. 423 



be allowed to undergo voluntarily an examination for a 

 certificate of competency, in writing if they should so wish, 

 and the certificate should certify in which manner the 

 holder passed. The fishing grounds should be, for ex- 

 amination purposes, divided into districts, and a man 

 could then pass for navigation generally and for a know- 

 ledge of one particular kind of fishing, or of all of them, 

 or of one particular district or of several. If this is done 

 certificates will be of value to the industry, and if any 

 of these suggestions are lacking, so will a certain amount of 

 the utility of the certificates also be lacking. Each year of 

 the seven years the standard might be raised a little, so that 

 the innovation should come gradually. The fees for exami- 

 nation should also be fixed at as low a rate as possible. 



Clause F. This definition of coast vessels is very unsatis- 

 factory, for all round the coasts may be found undecked, 

 quarter-decked, and half-decked boats, which would under 

 this clause become sea-going vessels, which would be an 

 absurdity, and would from all appearances frustrate the 

 intentions of the framers of the Act, showing the igno- 

 rance prevailing on these matters in official quarters. In 

 some cases open boats of about three tons would become 

 sea-going vessels. 



Clause G. A voyage of a vessel engaged in the trawl 

 fishing averages six weeks, being at some ports a month, 

 at others six weeks or two months. The vessel would be 

 fitted out with stores and provisions for the full extent of 

 this time if going to the fleet. If single boating possibly 

 a few articles would be got fresh from time to time. With 

 lines for live fish, a voyage generally means the time they 

 are getting the well full, and is very indefinite, but some- 

 times the crews ship for a period, which in this case would 

 be the voyage. With drifters universally the voyage means 



