TRAWLING. 45 



throughout the year, as they have fished on for the last 

 hundred years ; and in the winter the whole fleet finds 

 profitable occupation there. The evidence afforded by 

 the Brixham fishery is very important, for there is 

 little doubt of Brixham being the oldest trawling 

 station, and, as it is often called, the " mother port of 

 the trawlers." 



I have previously spoken of the two classes into 

 which, for market purposes, trawl fish are divided, 

 " prime " and " offal ; " and I may now say a few 

 words about the average proportion of the one to the 

 other, which is obtained in a year's fishing. It is im- 

 possible to speak of a daily or weekly average, as in the 

 North Sea many of the trawlers work after particular 

 kinds of fish during certain seasons. Some specially 

 seek after haddock or plaice on grounds where those fish 

 at a certain time of year are known to be abundant. 

 Almost all the catch under these circumstances would 

 count as " offal," although a ready market would be 

 found for it; at other times soles may be worked 

 for on the same system, and a large proportion of the 

 catch would be of a " prime " description ; others again 

 may fish on ground where the take would be varied. 

 The average value of each kind of fishing may pro- 

 bably not differ materially from that of the others ; for 

 where prime fish forms the bulk of the catch, the 

 quantity is likely to be small, and its total value may 

 not exceed that of the frequent very large hauls, mostly 

 of the commoner fish or " offal." Both kinds are con- 

 stantly wanted, and the price of each varies according 

 to the supply sent in. From a careful record kept by 

 Mr. Henry Knott, of Grimsby, of the actual produce 



