12 — 



II. 



Work carried out by the International Investigation 

 of the Sea, and some results of same. 



A. The fishery and statistical work of the International 

 Investigation of the Sea, in the years 1902 1912 



by 

 P. P. G. HOEK. 



The International Investigation of the Sea is no doubt of the very 

 greatest importance, both for the maintenance and the improvement of the 

 interests of the Sea Fishery. 



There was a time when one could calmly maintain, with Huxley, that 

 the riches of the sea were inexhaustible, or at any rate, so great that it was 

 impossible for man with his methods of capture to make any impression 

 thereupon, let alone the question of doing serious and lasting damage thereto. 

 At this time, the main thing in the sea fishery of most nations was the 

 capture of herrings ; in the second line came fishery with hook and line, while 

 trawhng was still almost everywhere a branch of minor importance. When 

 the well-known report of Caird, Huxley and Lefevre appeared (in 1866) 

 several ports on the east coast of England had already begun to fit out comp- 

 aratively large fleets for trawl fishing (the report estimates their total size at 

 955 vessels, employing 5000 men.). The carrier system was, however, not yet 

 known, there were as yet no trawling steamers, and the only trawl that was 

 employed was the beam trawl, whilst the other nations fishing the North Sea, 

 of which Germany alone owned a couple of hundred smacks fishing on the 

 high seas with the trawl, left this branch of fishery, outside the coastal waters, 

 almost entirely to the English. 



This state of affairs has now completely changed, and especially so with 

 regard to the trawling industry. It would be interesting to follow here the 

 evolution which has taken place, but the task would demand more space than 

 is here at our disposal. Suffice it briefly to mention how the fishing steamers 



