CHAPTER XIII 

 SCIENTIFIC TRAWLING 



IF anything had been needed to complete the thorough- 

 ness with which the fish of the North Sea were chased 

 and captured, it was afforded by the scientific efforts of 

 the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 

 This society was formed by men who were interested in 

 our great sea -fisheries. Its object was to help industry 

 and further science, and since the Association was formed 

 it has added enormously to our knowledge of the habits 

 and conditions of the life of sea-fishes. The headquarters 

 are at Plymouth, where a fine Laboratory, built and 

 equipped at a cost of ,12,000, was opened on 3oth June 

 1888. Practical and scientific investigations have been 

 conducted continuously since that time. The permanent 

 scientific staff consists of a Director of the Laboratory, 

 a naturalist for fishery investigations, and a director's 

 assistant who is chiefly employed in collecting, identifying, 

 and preserving marine animals. English and foreign 

 naturalists also visit the Laboratory for independent 

 research. 



Though the headquarters are at Plymouth, yet the 

 work is thoroughly national. From 1892 to 1895 

 elaborate investigations were made by the society's 

 officers, working from Grimsby and Lowestoft as 



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