702 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



that this method of fishing " in the open sea " was not waste- 

 fully destructive, and required no legislative interference, for 

 if any ground were over-fished, the fishing there would become 

 unprofitable, and the trawlers would go elsewhere. 1 The next 

 Commission, in 1878, by which time trawling had greatly 

 developed, came to much the same general conclusions ; but 

 they found that a decrease of soles had occurred, and also a 

 decrease of plaice and flounders in some localities, and they 

 recommended that power should be given to the Secretary of 

 State to forbid trawling " in any of the territorial seas," which 

 power was conferred in 188 1. 2 This inquiry was noteworthy 

 as first revealing complaints by the trawlers themselves of the 

 diminution of certain fish and the impoverishment of inshore 

 grounds, and for the advocacy by Grimsby smack-owners of 

 the prohibition of trawling at localities where small fish abound, 

 as the inlets on the Dutch and German coast, the Wash, and 

 off Yarmouth, and even within a nine-mile limit all round the 

 shores of the North Sea. At the next Commission of inquiry, 

 in 1883, the complaints of the trawlers were stronger, and the 

 remedies they proposed more drastic. Those of Hull and 

 Grimsby stated that the numbers of flat fishes, particularly 

 soles, had much diminished : that the nearer grounds were 



' ~ 



impoverished, and that they had to go much greater distances 

 for their supplies of fish. They expressed the belief that most 

 damage was being done by trawling along the coasts, especially 

 on the Continental side of the North Sea, and that the most 

 effectual remedy would be to prohibit trawling within a ten- 

 mile limit around the whole of the North Sea coasts. The 

 conclusions reached by the Commission were that soles had 

 decreased, and also flat fishes and haddocks in many parts of 

 the territorial waters between Grimsby and the Moray Firth, 

 and they recommended that the Scottish Fishery Board should 

 receive powers to regulate or suspend trawling within terri- 

 torial waters. 3 



1 Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Sea Fisheries of the 

 United Kingdom, vol. i., 1866. The late Professor Huxley and Mr Shaw Lefevre 

 (now Lord Eversley) were two of the commissioners. 



2 Report on the Sea Fisheries of England and Wales, 1879 (C. 2449). The com- 

 missioners were Mr Frank Buckland and Mr (afterwards Sir) Spencer Walpole. 



3 Report of the Commissioners on Trawl -Net and Beam -Trawl Fishing, 1885 

 (C. 4328). 



