28 REVIEW OF TRAWLING REPORT OF 1884. 



this examination of results is all the more necessary, since in 

 1893 another important body — viz., the Select Committee of the 

 House of Commons on Fisheries, presided over by Mr Marjori- 

 banks, M.P. — issued a new Blue-book containing the finding 

 of the Committee and a mass of evidence. 



In criticising this Report on Trawling it is necessary to bear 

 in mind that certain definite instructions were given by the 

 Commission in regard to the hauls of the trawl. These fall 

 under Section 6, and are as follow : — ' The results of each haul 

 of the trawl, so far as regards food-fishes, should be carefully 

 registered, in order that positive data may be obtained : 



' (a) As to the proportional quantity of immature fishes 

 taken at various seasons. 



' (6) As to the destruction of the spawn of food-fishes. 

 ' (c) As to the proportion of live and dead fishes.' 



It is important to remember, also, that the choice of ground 

 lay with the trawler in almost every case, and that the most 

 productive ground, so far as could be ascertained, would in all 

 probability be selected. 



In the Report of 1884 the fishes were grouped into 'saleable,' 

 'unsaleable,' and 'young,' the latter term being synonymous 

 with that now in general use, viz. ' immature ' — a term, indeed, 

 which was introduced prominently in this Report with precisely 

 the modern meaning. These three heads are well understood, 

 and need cause no ambiguity, since even the fishing community 

 are quite able to understand them — a size-limit, of course, in 

 every case having been considered. To the Royal Commis- 

 sioners the fact that a young or immature dab was under 

 7 inches was not of great utility, but the number of such young 

 forms was of the utmost importance in view of the statements 

 then prevalent. Due care was taken to see personally that 

 every example was authenticated, and if any weight is to be 

 attached to the statement that the 'great defect of the Report^ 

 is that no information whatever is given as to the limit of size 



1 Prof. Ray Lankester, Sea Fisheries, Chicago Exhibition, 1893, p. 64. The 

 communication, which appears under Prof. Ray Lankester's name in this 

 pubHcation, is inserted in the Marketable Fishes by Mr Cunningham as his 

 own. 



