CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE HERRING-FISHERY. 289 



English and Scotch coast generally. But after nine years' 

 experience of this Act, the guardians of the British 

 herring-fisheries have, in a special statute, 14th and 

 15th Victoria, chapter 26, section 6, repeated the restric- 

 tions upon trawlers in the vicinity of herring-fisheries 

 when the regular herring-fishery is commenced. 



" Although I am desirous to abstain from the expression 

 of any opinion which I may have formed on the result of 

 this inquiry, reserving myself for the general discussion 

 of the question before the special Board fixed for Monday 

 next, the 15th inst., I feel bound to wind up with a 

 general summary of conclusions which seem to me fully 

 deducible from the facts which have been stated in this 

 report : — 



" 1st, The east coast of Devon, from the mouth of the 

 Exe to Start Point, is remarkable for a productive and 

 most valuable fishing of a mixed kind, as to engines, the 

 trawl net being that most used. 



" 2d, That the bay or inshore fishing has, for the last 

 190 years, been, by law, under restraints prescribed by 

 the 13th and 14th Charles II. cap. 28, rendered more 

 stringent by the Convention Act 6th and 7th Victoria, 

 cap. 79, and still further confirmed by the 14th and 15th 

 Victoria, cap. 26, section 6. 



" Sd, That the restraint prescribed by the Convention 

 Act was the result of, and strongly urged by, the two suc- 

 cessive Parliamentary Committees in 1817 and 1833. 



" 4:th, That a strict observance of these restraints and 

 regulations generally prevails, though there may have 

 been occasional breaches. 



" 5fh, That notwithstanding the progressive increase in 

 the numbers of vessels, the supplies of all sorts of fish 

 keep pace with the increased means of capture. 



