802 



PKESIDENT'S ADDKESS. 



improper or destructive tackle, from the deterioration of spawn- 

 ing beds, the fouling or poisoning of waters, or from other causes 

 which need not now be enumerated ? Many such questions may 

 be answered now which could not have been answered when 

 Professor Huxley's commission began its labours. At that time 

 little was known of the migration of fishes, of their habits as to 

 spawning, or even of their food and growth : much still remains 

 to be learnt, but during the last ten years — thanks to the con- 

 stant labours of naturalists connected with the various Fishery 

 Boards ~ a vast amount of knowledge has been gained — not only 

 about the life-histories and food of fishes, but as to their distri- 

 bution, and as to the effects of the various appliances which are 

 in use for their capture. 



Upon information of this kind must, of course, depend the 

 decision as to whether sea-fishing should be carried on with- 

 out any restriction, or whether stringent regulations as to close 

 times and fishing machinery should be enforced. Professor Hux- 

 ley and other authorities have held that the fecundity of fishes 

 is so great that no restriction of any kind is necessary, — in fact 

 that it is impossible for any human agency materially to inter- 

 fere with the supply. But notwithstanding this it seems certain 

 that there is a decrease of productiveness, at any rate in the 

 North Sea, and that this decrease is to a large extent due to 

 over-fishing. The following table, given by Dr. T. Wemyss 

 Fulton, in the Tenth Annual Eeport of the Fishery Board for 

 Scotland, will illustrate this fact : — * 



Year. 



Tonnage. 



Fish caught in 

 cwts. 



Cwts. per ton of 

 Vessel. 



1888 

 1889 

 1890 

 1891 



2,689 

 3,608 

 4,705 

 6,404 



250,000 

 252,524 

 29], 812 

 323,046 



92-9 

 69-9 

 62-0 

 49-8 



It is thus shown that though in three years the weight of fish 

 caught rose from 250,000 to 323,046 cwts., the tonnage of the 

 vessels employed had increased from 2,689 in 1888 to 6,484 in 



* The table refers to beam-trawlers. 



