224 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS. 



approaching maturity. Having studied as far as possible the 

 life-histories of the food-fishes, he has likewise observed their 

 rate of growth, their habits and so-called migrations, their food, 

 and, last, but not least, their environment in the ocean. 



It has still to be shown that such knowledge, which is 

 nothing if not accurate, is a disqualification in dealing with the 

 complex problems of the fisheries. Yet how few officials or 

 public bodies, how few individuals fully realise the prolonged 

 study necessary to grasp all the complex problems of the 

 fisheries. It is, however, not always easy for the public to 

 distinguish between the real and the counterfeit in such a case, 

 and class-interests eagerly seize on the remarks of those who 

 have little more than the rudiments of the subject. 



Trawling, the subject of these experiments, appears to have 

 begun systematically at Brixham and Plymouth last century, 

 yet, after more than a hundred years' work, though the area for 

 trawling was by no means extensive, no proof of exhaustion is 

 forthcoming. Long previous to this date, however, viz. in 1376 

 — 1377, in the reign of Edward III., a petition was presented 

 to Parliament praying that a new fishing instrument like a 

 large oyster-drag and called a Wondrychroum be interdicted. 

 It was stated that " It destroyed the spawn and brood of fish, 

 and the spat of oysters and mussels and other fish, by which 

 large fish are accustomed to live and be supported. So many 

 small fishes were taken by it that the fishermen did not know 

 what to do with them but feed and fatten their pigs with them 

 to the great damage of the whole commons of the kingdom\" 

 Fishes were probably as cheap at this period as formerly. Thus 

 at Billingsgate in the time of Edward I. turbot were sold at 6d. 

 each, eels at Sd. per cwt., pickled herrings at Id. the score, and 

 oysters at 2d. per gallon. 



Again, in 1491, during the reign of Henry VII., many of 

 the fishermen of the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts were convicted 

 and fined £10 (= about £100 to-day) for fishing with small- 

 meshed nets and unlawful engines for taking small fishes. So 

 in the reign of James I., and subsequently, fishermen near Rye 

 were "taken" for fishing with unlawful nets, — proving that 

 1 Mr Jex, Fisheries Conference, Part i. p. 318. 



