86 JOURNAL OF MARINE ZOOLOGY AND MICROSCOPY 



injurious to fishes ; a series to illustrate the nature and variety of the 

 food of each of our food fishes; samples of the "bottoms" around 

 Jersey, &c, &e. 



Such an exhibition, open free to fishermen, would be of very great 

 educational value to them in their calling, especially as showing them 

 what is being done elsewhere by methods different from their own. 



3. The establishment of an Information Bureau, which, among other 

 uses, could, by means of a simple system of corresponding agents in a 

 few of the home and continental fish centres, advise fishermen as to the 

 supplies of bait obtainable elsewhere in times of bait scarcity here, and, 

 if desired, to take measures to put the fishers here in communication 

 with bait sellers abroad. Other useful work would consist in the 

 collection and tabulation of local fishery statistics. 



Part 4. — Summary of tlie Fishery Laivs relating to Jersey waters; 

 their inadequacy to meet present requirements. 



Having thus taken note of the chief lines upon which investigation 

 and experiment should proceed, it behoves us to inquire into the pro- 

 visions of the Fishery Laws already existing in the statute book. 



During the present century, three Fishery Laws have been enacted 

 by the States of Jersey, while four Acts of the Imperial Parliament have 

 been registered here, and have accordingly full effect in this Island. 

 They may be summarised as follows : — 



1. The regulations with regard to the oyster fishery off Gorey, made 

 during the preceding century, having failed in their object of safe- 

 guarding the beds, the States, in 1841, passed a fresh law re-regulating 

 the details of the fishery with great precision ; and the Harbour Master 

 of Mont Orgueil was appointed Inspector of the fishery to ensure the due 

 observance of the various provisions. This law, however, proved 

 equally inadequate to prevent the practical extinction of the industry, as 

 it contained no provision for preserving a reserve sufficient to keep up 

 the supply of spat. Between September 1st and May 31st, fishing on 

 the outer beds was permitted to all comers of British nationality and as 

 many oysters might be removed as they were able to dredge. The 

 height of this transitory prosperity was between 1840 and 1850, when 

 250 boats were not uncommonly employed simultaneously. The average 

 catch was enormous ; about 40 tubs each, and when we learn that a tub 

 contained from 300 to 400 oysters, giving a catch of 12,000 to 16,000 

 oysters per boat per day we cannot wonder at the rapid exhaustion of 

 the beds. Even these catches were frequently exceeded ; thus Mr. J. 

 Perehard, of Gorey, one of the oldest dredgermen living in Jersey, has 

 informed me that his boat on one occasion took 120 tubs, the equivalent 

 of 36,000 oysters at a low estimate. Again, I have record of another 



