THE TRAWLING COMMISSION 41 



steamer, and by comparing the results of these 

 experiments ; and the observations thus com- 

 menced were continued faithfully up to the year 

 1902. As time went on, however, the policy of 

 the Board changed to a certain extent; in 1889 

 a further extension of the closed area took place, 

 and the reason given was that the Board were 

 satisfied that, within the area to which the by-law 

 applied, " beam-trawling as a mode of fishing [was] 

 injurious to the sea-fisheries." By this time all 

 the territorial waters off the east coast of Scotland, 

 from Tantallon Castle, on the south side of the 

 Forth, to the Ord of Caithness, on the north side 

 of the Dornoch Firth, were closed against trawling 

 vessels. 



" This action gave great satisfaction to the line 

 and drift-net fishermen specially interested in the 

 areas so closed " ; but those fishermen prosecuting 

 their calling in other territorial waters wished to 

 have the latter dealt with in like manner. The 

 Board were, however, as yet imperfectly equipped 

 with statutory powers to effect this, and it required 

 the passage of another Act^ to enable them to 

 complete the carrying out of their policy of re- 

 striction of trawling. By this Act the whole of 

 the territorial waters off the coasts of Scotland, 

 with the exceptions of the Solway and Pentland 

 Firths, were closed against trawling, and, in addi- 



1 The Herring Fishery (Scotland) Act, 52 and S3 Vict. c. 23 

 (1889). 



