THE SELECT COMMITTEE OF 1893 57 



Instead of creating an English Board on the 

 model of the Scottish authority, the Government 

 instituted the present Fisheries Department of 

 the Board of Trade, and the system of local com- 

 mittees, which is the present form of fisheries 

 administration. The Salmon and Fresh-water 

 Fisheries Act of 1886^ transferred the powers 

 and duties of the Home Office, with respect 

 to those fisheries, to the Board of Trade, and 

 at the same time made the Board take cog- 

 nisance of the sea - fisheries. The inspectors 

 of salmon fisheries were made inspectors also 

 of sea-fisheries, and they were required to 

 prepare an annual report to be laid before 

 Parliament, containing a statistical account of 

 the fisheries, with suggestions for their improve- 

 ment. In making this change, the Government 

 legislated along the line of least resistance ; 

 and in instituting the system of local com- 

 mittees they followed their policy of local 

 government, which resulted in the institution 

 of the county councils in 1888, By the Sea- 

 Fisheries Regulation Act^ of that year the 

 present system of sea-fisheries administration 

 came into existence. 



The Sea-Fisheries Regulation Act cannot be 

 regarded in any way as resulting from the recom- 

 mendations of the Trawling Commission. It 

 gave the newly-constituted county councils power 



1 49 and 50 Vict. c. 39. ^51 and 52 Vict. c. 54. 



