20 ;;KFTAIU.r. r.KITISH MAKIXK 1'ISHES CHAP. 



territorial area in the Moray Firth was closed, and the Firth of 

 ndiews Bay areas were extended. Mr. \Y. L- 

 I as naturalist on board the Garland, and Mr. 

 .in Matthews superintended the course of the trawling 

 observations from the University of Edinburgh, collating and 

 tabulating the returns forwarded from the Garland. Mr. Brook 

 had charge of the work on the west coast, while Professor 

 >.tosh continued his studies on the life-histories of food- 

 \mlre\vs Laboratory. Beyond the records of 

 the experimental trawling observations, the description of scien- 

 tific, investigations forming Appendix F to the Fifth Report 

 does not contain much of great magnitude and importance. 

 Mr. Matthews contributes a second elaborate report on varieties 

 found among herrings from the east coast of Scotland. He also 

 aa elaborate description of the skeleton of the herring. 

 Additional papers on the food of fishes are given, namely of the 

 whiting and young Gadidae. The statistics of fish taken by the 

 Garland, and landed by ordinary boats, are given in a number 

 of detailed tables occupying 157 pages. 



In 1886 certain departmental changes were made in the 



English public service with respect to business connected with 



the fisheries. The jurisdiction of the Home Office in respect of 



salmon and fresh-water fisheries was transferred to the Board of 



Trade by the Salmon and Fresh-water Fisheries Act, 1886. A 



ry Department of the Board of Trade was organised, at 



the head of which was placed an assistant secretary Mr. G. 



Swainston). Mr. Berrington and Mr. Fryer, the inspectors of 



-water Fisheries at the Home Office, were transferred to 



the new department, and a third inspector (Mr. Malan), specially 



for sea fisheries was also appointed. The new department 



publishes annually a return of statistics of sea-fish landed on the 



: the United Kingdom, and a Report on the Sea 



in addition to the Report on Salmon and Fresh-water 



which was continued. But the department has no 



power to make scientific investigations, nor to make bye-laws or 



regulations affecting the sea fisheries. 



The anomalous position of fishery affairs in England and 



Wales has been since still further increased by the Sea Fisheries 



Regulation Act of iSSS, which is of a permissive character, and 



Board of Trade to create Sea Fisheries Districts on 



