SCIENCE AND THE SEA FISHERIES 225 



(i) The study of hydrographical conditions. 



(2) The investigation of the biological conditions of the seas. 



(3) The solution of the problem how far the deep-sea fishery as 

 a commercial industry stands in general on a rational basis ; whether 

 the quantities and consumption of fish taken from the North and 

 neighbouring seas are in a proper proportion to the production 

 occurring under the prevailing natural conditions, and whether any 

 disproportion arises from a general or local overfishing, or from an 

 injudicious employment of the fishing apparatus at present in use. 



For this work each country agreed to provide a special steamer 

 with the apparatus necessary for marine research, and to furnish 

 and maintain one or more laboratories where the observations and 

 collections made on board the steamers might be worked out in 

 detail. For the better investigations of these problems. Com- 

 mittees of the International Council were appointed at a meeting 

 held at Copenhagen in 1902. 



A committee of experts had the question of hydrographical 

 observations for consideration, another dealt with the migrations 

 of the most important food fishes of the North Sea, especially the 

 herring and cod, still another was concerned with overfishing, and 

 there was one for the fisheries of the Baltic. The responsibility for 

 the British share of the investigations was entrusted to the Fishery 

 Board in Scotland, and the Marine Biological Association in England, 

 each of these bodies being voted a sum of £5,500 for the expenses of 

 the investigations. In 1910 the latter body transferred its work 

 to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. 



The undertaking for these international researches was in the 

 first place for a period of three years only, a sum of £42,000 being 

 voted by the British Government as their contribution to the 

 expenses of the investigations. At the termination of the period 

 of three years the Government were induced to participate for a 

 further two years ; eventually the investigations tended to become 

 permanent. 1 To give a brief account of the results of the investi- 

 gations of the above organisations would be to write a voluminous 

 text -book on marine biology and hydrography. The most that can 

 be attempted here is to summarise the facts of more practical 

 interest to the fisheries. 



Although the international investigations have led unquestion- 

 ably to an enormous increase of our knowledge of the marine 

 biology and hydrography of the North and neighbouring seas, it 

 can hardly be said that the fishery recommendations of the Inter- 

 national Council have been of fundamental or far-reaching im- 

 portance. 



1 The outbreak of war in 1914 necessarily meant the suspension of this work. 

 Q 



