^^2 THE SEA FISHERIES 



was again raised by the Northumberland Committee in looo with 

 the result that a special preliminary conference was held in'iqio 

 Nothmg effectual was done, and this annual conference is just as 

 tutile and ineffective in 1919 as it was in 1891. 



The Departmental Committee's next point is that the present 

 system has failed in mamtaining intimate relations between the 

 fishermen and the fishery authority. In particular, the absence of 

 the " fishery members " from the meetings of the local committees 

 is adversely commented on. In conclusion, " the Local Fisheries 

 Committees, as at present constituted, however satisfactory from 

 a theoretical point of view, appear to suffer from drawbacks which 

 the keenest interest and the most intelligent devotion of a few 

 sympathetic members are not sufficient to overcome." 



The Departmental Committee, therefore, recommend a large 

 number of changes which may be summarised as follow : — 



1. A strengthening of the Central Department to an extent 

 commensurate with the fishing interests under its charge, by 

 raising its status in the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries from 

 that of a branch to a position coequal with Agriculture, and by 

 giving the head of the Fisheries Department the rank of a permanent 

 secretary with direct access to the minister in charge of Agriculture 

 and Fisheries. 



2. The exercise by the Central Department of the following 

 administrative powers and duties, some of which have hitherto 

 been in the hands of the Local Fisheries Committees : — 



{a) The making, repealing, simplification and enforcement of all 

 sea fishery by-laws and regulations. 



(6) The division of the sea coast of England and Wales into four 

 or five convenient fishery districts, and the appointment in each of 

 a resident local inspector directly responsible to the Central Depart- 

 ment. 



(c) Wider powers of control and development of shellfish beds, 

 together with enhanced powers for the purification of shellfish. 



(d) Intervention— legal or otherwise [stc]— where public fisheries 

 or fishing rights are imperilled. 



(e) The collection and dissemination amongst fishermen of fishery 



intelligence. , . , _. v^j 



(f) The acquirement of certain of the powers hitherto exercised 

 by other Government Departments in regard to fishery matters 

 such as the collection of statistics of the number of fishermen and 



^'teT^m 'continuance, on an enlarged scale if possible of the 

 scientific work now carried out by Local Fisheries Commrtteei as 

 part of the general scientific work of the Department. 



