FISHES AND FISHERIES OF THE IRISH SEA. 



TABLE III. 



Value of fish landed direct from the fishing- grounds at the various ports in the 

 Lancashire and Western Sea Fisheries District, including Rhyl, which is omitted from the two 

 first tables, as it was not included in either of the two original Sea Fishery Districts : 



Date. 



Weight of Fish, 

 excluding- Shell Fish. 



Cwts. 



Total Value, 

 including Shell Fish. 







1891 

 1892 



1893 

 1894 



1895 

 1896 

 1897 



1899 

 1900 



1 87, 994 



203,735 



J 97.579 

 232,878 

 240,141 

 288,407 

 353.678 



233.643 

 260,328 



105,548 



185,173 

 209,932 

 197,899 



245.5 18 

 261,072 



361,086 



443.33 6 

 247,892 



267,051 



It will be seen that in the original Lancashire Sea Fisheries District the value of fish 

 landed in 1900 shows an increase of ^31,654 over that of the preceding year, 1899, and a 

 decrease in the original Western Sea Fisheries District of ^4,856 for the same period ; but this 

 does not necessarily indicate a decrease in the quantity of fish taken from the Welsh fishing- 



grounds, as owing to many of the sailing 

 trawlers now being fitted with ice chests, the 

 fish, instead of being landed at Carnarvon, 

 Pwllheli, &c., and forwarded to market by rail 

 as formerly, is frequently taken to other ports 

 by the trawlers themselves. For instance, there 

 were a large number of trawlers hailing from 

 the south coast of England fishing in Cardigan 

 Bay during the past summer (1901), we have 

 counted 46, but we are informed there were 60 

 and they have, for the most part, landed their 

 fish at Milford. 



It may be argued, and with good reason, 

 that although a substantial increase in the 

 quantity and value of fish caught is shown, the 

 greater part of this may have been obtained 

 Q rounds outs ide the limits of the 



FIG. 12. -A Decfi-Sca Trawler. 



district. At the same time increased returns are shown at ports in the district where fish is only 

 landed by the inshore boats ; and, again, it must not be forgotten that on this coast the 

 nurseries which feed the off-shore grounds mostly lie within the district, and that if they are 

 not preserved the outside grounds cannot continue to produce the same results. 



It is probable that the value of bye-laws or fishery regulations cannot be fairly judged 

 by statements of increased or decreased takes alone, as the question arises, what would be the 

 state of the fisheries at the present time had there been no bye-laws ? For instance, it seems 

 reasonable to surmise, with regard to the Lancashire and Western Sea Fisheries District, that 



