American Fisheries Society 27 



the North Sea, from different nations, and these police have 

 done exceedingly good work. If for nothing else, there is one 

 thing for which they deserve praise, and that is stopping the sale 

 of spirits to the fishermen in the North Sea, and now I am 

 pleased to say that these boats have been actually exterminated, 

 and the mission to deep sea fishermen has taken up the selling 

 of tobacco at sea, for that used to be the loop-hole — they had to 

 get tobacco, but instead of that they got spirits. Xow the tobac- 

 co is supplied at a shilling a pound from mission boats. 



Xow this proposition for an international society was read 

 here last year at your meeting, and at the same time I read it in 

 Belgium at a fisheries congress there, and it was approved, and 

 we were to have started it there. But a certain government offi- 

 cial wanted to formulate a code of rules first and send them over 

 to me for correction. He has failed thus far in doing so, but 

 they have formulated another document, and I have a transla- 

 tion of it here, but that does not meet the point. It is not for 

 any country or any one individual or committee to say where 

 that document shall be kept; it is for the members to whom it 

 belongs. Xow when the society is formed, it is then time enough 

 to find a locker to put the document in, but I would like to have 

 this launched in the greatest country in the world, and especiall}- 

 the United States of America, where you have the largest in- 

 land fisheries in the world, and you are able and I believe will- 

 ing to extend your knowledge to the different countries that re- 

 quire such information. At the same time I think that I dare 

 say both on behalf of England and on behalf of other states of 

 Europe, that they wall be willing to reciprocate kindnesses by 

 giving information relating to salt water fisheries which are not 

 carried out to a great extent in America, except by lines. We 

 have what we call the beam-trawl and also the auto-trawl, and 

 those fisheries are very productive, and I think that the Cana- 

 dians and also the people of the United States will be taking up 

 trawling after ground fish. 



My proposition is now, that a committee be appointed to 

 start this society at this meeting. If anybody wishes to assist in 

 the matter I should be highly gratified. Perhaps the president 

 will say a word more about it. (Applause.) 



