SEA FISHERIES 159 



In 1903 another change took place, and the 

 Inspectors were transferred to the Board of 

 Agriculture, which now became the Board of 

 Agriculture and Fisheries. 



At present* the Central Staff consists of an 

 Assistant Secretary and two Inspectors, in addi- 

 tion to a staff of statistical experts. Their 

 duties are manifold, and far too many for so 

 small a staff. We have seen that their birth 

 was in a Salmon Bill, and much of their time 

 is taken up with the comparatively unimportant 

 fresh-water fisheries, and these form the subject 

 of a separate Report. Without actually adminis- 

 tering the bye-laws of the local committees, 

 they exercise a certain supervision over their 

 actions. They have to attend numerous inquiries 

 all over the country, prepare annual reports, 

 and are responsible for the collection of the 

 statistics which have recently assumed so ex- 

 tensive a development. Besides the central 

 authorities at the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries, there are Local Fisheries Committees 



* With the taking over of the work of the Marine Biological 

 Association by the Government, and with the arrival of 

 Mr. Runciman as President of the Board of Agriculture 

 and Fisheries, the staff has been strengthened and increased. 



