28o 



UTILITARIAN ZOOLOGY 



the statistics). The importance of the matter to this country may 

 be realized by giving a few figures. 



In 1 90 1 the number of fishing-boats registered in the United 

 Kingdom (including the Isle of Man and Channel Islands) was as 

 follows: — First class (15 tons or more), 7083; second class, 14,067; 

 third class, 4647; total tonnage, 302,188. And to this must be 

 added a large number of unregistered boats, chiefly of the third 

 class. During the same year 68,878 persons were regularly 

 employed in fishing, and 37,599 more found occasional employ- 

 ment. 



The amount and value of the British catch for 1902 were as 

 follows : — • 



Wet Fish. 



Quantity 

 in Cwts. 



Soles ... 

 Turbot 

 Other prime fi 

 Cod ... 

 Haddock 

 Herrings 

 Ling ... 

 Mackerel 

 Sprats . . . 

 Whiting 

 Other fish 



76, 



64, 



33 



,584 



,941 



,437 



599 



76, 



4°3 



,432: 



624 

 094 

 1 84 

 528 

 264 

 566 

 627 



983 

 066 

 247 

 862 



17,902,045 



\~alue 



£ 

 512, 



245, 

 Si 



865, 

 1,787 

 2,531 



115 



39° 

 16, 



161 

 2,586 



596 

 215 

 55° 

 934 

 942 

 912 



925 

 321 

 636 

 392 

 675 



Shell-Fish. 



Crabs 

 Lobsters 

 Oysters ... 

 Other 1 



shell-fish / 



Number. 



Value. 



8,680,645 79,968 



1,632,110 73,317 



43,482,711 119,086 



613,436 



138,544 



4i°,9i5 



9,296,098 



Total Value of British Catch 

 FOR 1902, 



£9,707,013. 



We do not entirely rely upon the British fishing industry for 

 supplies, for in 1902 our imports of fresh and cured fish amounted 

 to 2,587,370 cwts., valued at ^4,105,800. Of this amount, how- 

 ever, 439,773 cwts. (worth ^809,322) were re-exported, while we 

 exported a part of our own catch to the value of ^3,706,002, 

 which included 2,249,976 barrels of herrings, worth ^2,933,864. 

 Of the exported herrings no less than 1,364,613 barrels were 

 cured in Scotland, and the greater part of these were for Russian 

 consumption, some of them finding their way as far east as Vladi- 

 vostock. 



During the last few decades it has gradually been realized by 

 maritime nations that the supply of fish is not inexhaustible, and 



