THE DEVELOPMENT OF STEAM TRAWLING 153 



distant voyages to Iceland and the Bay of Biscay and elsewhere 

 which have been such a remarkable feature of fishery development 

 during the two last decades. Some of the trawlers advocated an 

 extension of the 3-mile limit, and the prohibition of trawling within 

 10 miles of the shore. They were especially emphatic with regard 

 to the eastern coasts of the North Sea, and in particular desired that 

 large areas outside the territorial waters should be closed by an 

 international arrangement. The prevention of the sale of immature 

 flat-fish was also strongly advocated, as it has been on many 

 subsequent occasions by many branches of the fishing industry. 

 Since the discovery of the distant grounds, however, the urgency 

 of the trawlers' demands under this heading has somewhat abated 

 of late years. With respect to overfishing the Select Committee of 

 1893 stated : " When we turn to the great fishing grounds of the 

 North Sea, from the evidence which has been given by all persons 

 interested in the fisheries, whether trawlers, or linesmen, whether 

 smack-owners or fishermen, whether scientific experts or 

 statisticians, there seems to be no doubt that a considerable diminu- 

 tion has occurred among the more valuable classes of flat-fish, 

 especially among soles and plaice, and that this diminution must 

 be attributed to overfishing by trawlers in certain localities." With 

 regard to the suggestion that there should be an international basis 

 of co-operation for the protection of the inshore grounds, the 

 Committee recommended that as the territorial limit of 3 mUes is 

 insufficient for fishery purposes, negotiations should be entered 

 into with the Powers bordering on the North Sea for an extension 

 of this limit for fishery purposes only. 



The next step taken by the trawlers for the protection of the 

 fisheries of the North Sea was the introduction of a bill in Parlia- 

 ment to prohibit the sale of specified classes of flat-fish below a 

 certain size limit. A detailed account of the attempts to secine 

 an Act for this purpose would alone require a volume of considerable 

 dimensions. Certain grounds in the North Sea are known to be 

 frequented for the most part by certain species of undersized flat- 

 fish. Other fish occur sporadically, but not in sufficient numbers 

 to render a voyage to these grounds remunerative, provided the 

 undersized flat-fish were eliminated from the catch. It was argued 

 by the trawlers that if this elimination could be secured by the 

 prevention of the landing or sale of flat-fish below a certain size, 

 then trawlers would cease to frequent these grounds which would 

 thus, in effect, become closed. The enactment of a law forbidding 

 the landing or sale of flat-fish below a certain limit of size was 

 suggested to the Select Committee of 1893. Two limits of size were 

 proposed for such an enactment ; one by the National Sea Fisheries 



