128 



BRITISH FISHERIES 



Under this system of administration the sea- 

 fisheries of Ireland have on the whole declined from 

 the time of the Royal Commission of 1866. I 

 give the returns of the numbers of vessels, men, 

 and boys engaged in the industry since 1865, for 

 each fifth year : — ^ 



Even these figures, discouraging though they 

 be, do not represent the real depression and 

 poverty of the industry. Of the vessels engaged 

 in 1 90 1, only twelve were steam trawlers; the 

 majority of the second-class sailing boats were less 

 than ten tons in net register, and more than half of 

 the total number of vessels were rowing boats. In 

 1 90 1 this fishing population landed on all the 

 coasts of Ireland fish of all kinds of a total value 

 of j^374, 109.^ Long-line fishermen in the same 

 year earned, on the average, from 20s. per week 



1 Taken from the Annual Reports of the Inspectors. 

 ^ In 1902 the quantity of fish (exclusive of shell-fish) landed on 

 the coasts of Ireland was 556,868 cwts., worth ^^296,606. 



