172 THE SEA FISHERIES 



cases of infringement of the by-laws when the encroachment has 

 been slight. Steam trawlers are capable of moving, with the trawl 

 down, at the rate of 5 miles an hour or more ; and consequently, 

 since the police vessels are well-known and are visible at some 

 distance, it is difficult to overtake them before they have slipped 

 outside the hmits into the open sea. It follows that in many cases, 

 though the fishery ofiicers are certain that the law has been in- 

 fringed, proceedings cannot be taken to bring the trawlers into 

 court owing to the difficulty of furnishing legal proof of the exact 

 spot where the breach of the law occurred. If similar powers to 

 those possessed by the Scottish and Irish authorities were granted 

 to the English and Welsh fishery authorities, then mshore areas, 

 even though they were beyond the " 3-mile limit,'-' could be subject 

 to regulation in the interests of the sea fisheries as a whole. To 

 take an example ; the present area of the Lancashire and Western 

 District, which extends from Haverigg Point, in the County of 

 Cumberland, to Cemmaes Head, in Pembrokeshire, is 1300 square 

 geographical miles. To extend the limits of the district in Carnarvon 

 Bay to include all that portion of the sea within a line drawn from 

 the South Stack Lighthouse (near Holyhead) to the lighthouse on 

 Bardsea Island, would add approximately loi square geographical 

 miles to the present area of the district. Similarly to extend the 

 limits in Cardigan Bay to include all that portion of the sea within 

 a line drawn from Bardsea Island Lighthouse to the Northern 

 extremity of Cemmaes Head, in the County of Pembroke, the 

 present southern extremity of the district, would add approxi- 

 mately 497 square geographical miles to its area. If a line be drawn 

 from Point Lynus, in the county of Anglesea, to the Liverpool 

 North-West Lightship and from thence to the Liverpool Bar 

 Lightship, an area of approximately 176 square geographical miles 

 would be added to the district. If another line were drawn from 

 Wahiey Island Lighthouse, in the county of Lancaster, to More- 

 cambe Bay Lightship and so to the Liverpool Bar Lightship, an 

 area of 294 square geographical miles would be added to the district. 

 The jurisdiction of the local fisheries committee might, therefore, 

 be extended as follows :— 



Present area . • • 1,300 Square mUes. 



Added areas — 

 Cardigan Bay ... 497 



Carnarvon Bay • ■ • '^°l 

 North Wales Coast . . 170 

 Lancashire Coast . • 294 



2,368 



The Irish Sea contains about 15,700 sq. miles, so that even if 



