40 BRITISH FISHERIES 



Act^ was passed. Whatever may have been the 

 exact view of the Commissioners, there is no doubt 

 that this Act contemplated the restriction or prohi- 

 bition of trawling in the interests of other forms of 

 sea-fishing. It empowered the Fishery Board to 

 make by-laws ^ restricting or prohibiting any form 

 of fishing in any defined area of the Scottish terri- 

 torial waters. This might be done if the Board 

 were satisfied that the given method of fishing was 

 injurious to other forms of fishing, or if it j inter- 

 fered with operations relating to fish-culture, or 

 with observations or experiments made with the 

 view of ascertaining whether any particular mode 

 of fishing was injurious. The Board speedify took 

 advantage of these increased powers, and in 1886 

 they initiated their policy of closing the waters 

 under their control against any form of trawling. 



The first by-laws closed certain areas off the 

 east coast — part of the Moray Firth, Aberdeen 

 Bay, St Andrews Bay, and the Firth of Forth ; 

 and the object was that the prosecution of scien- 

 tific trawling observations by the Board's steamer 

 might not be interfered with. The object of 

 these observations was to ascertain whether certain 

 areas might become plentifully stocked with fish 

 on the cessation of trawling by commercial fishing 

 vessels. This was done by making periodical 

 monthly trawls by an experimental trawling 



1 48 and 49 Vict. c. 70 (1885). 



2 With the sanction of the Secretary of State for Scotland 



