224 THE SEA FISHERIES 



there are, however, two notable exceptions — ^the Lancashire and 

 Western, and the Northumberland Committees. 



Reference to the scientific work done by the local fishery com- 

 mittees will be found in the reports of various Government and 

 departmental committees of inquiry. The Committee of Ich- 

 thyological Research stated, in 1902, " The (scientific) work per- 

 formed by the Committee for the Lancashire and Western District 

 under the chairmanship of Mr. John Fell is particularly noticeable. 

 The Committee has published among other papers, eleven annual 

 reports on its scientific work, and certain valuable monographs. 

 In addition to these local researches, the Lancashire County Council 

 has instituted laboratory classes for fishermen, and has, for some 

 years, circulated in the county a travelling fisheries museum." 

 With regard to Northumberland the Committee of Ichthyological 

 Research report, " A laboratory and marine station has been 

 established at Cullercoats, in the Northumberland Sea Fisheries 

 District, mainly owing to the assistance given by Mr. John Dent, 

 a member of the local committee. Experimental trawlings have 

 been carried on for ten years, and some valuable experiments with 

 regard to the practicability of fertilising fish ova at sea have been 

 made." Similarly the Committee on Fishery Investigations (1908) 

 referred in an appreciative manner to the scientific work of these 

 two local committees. 



Subsequent committees of inquiry have been much less sym- 

 pathetic towards the research work of local fishery committees. 

 The Departmental Committee on Inshore Fisheries (England and 

 Wales), 1914, state : " We are aware that the arrangements above 

 outlined will make it quite impossible for committees as such to 

 carry out scientific investigations." 



In the year 1899 the Swedish Government invited the Govern- 

 ments of Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, Holland, Norway and 

 Russia to send delegates to a Conference at Stockholm, which was 

 called together " to elaborate a plan for the joint exploration in 

 the interest? of the sea fisheries of the hydrographical and biological 

 conditions of the Arctic Ocean and the North and Baltic Seas. 

 A subsequent conference was held, and the Britih Government 

 was induced to enter into an arrangement with the other countries 

 for the exploration of the North and neighbouring seas in the 

 interests of the fisheries. A permanent International Council was 

 established, consisting of two representatives of each participatmg 

 nation, and it was decided that the central office of the Council 

 should be at Copenhagen, and that there should be a central labora- 

 tory at Christiania. When the International Council was assurea 

 of an annual subsidy it set to work along three mam Imes :— 



