114 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
Again, what quantities of the fresh fish landed in the period — 
1909-13 were ultimately condemned as human food and sent 
to the manure factory? Such condemnations must have been 
of frequent occurrence at all big ports, and the deduction to be 
made seems to me to be too great to be neglected. 
| The quantity of fish said to be “ available” for human 
consumption during the period before the war seems, therefore, 
to be not even a reasonable approximation to the real quantity 
consumed. ‘ [tis probable,” says a writer in the‘‘ Fish Trades 
Gazette,’* speaking evidently with exceptional knowledge of 
the industry, “‘ that the home consumption of the British fish 
is less than 10,000,000 cwts., and possibly considerably less. 
There seems no doubt that much more than half the total fish 
landed is exported, and much less than half consumed in this 
country.” It is evident, from the active “ fish as food’ cam- 
paign in England in the years before the war that there was a 
considerable uneaten surplus of fish. Except for the herrmeg 
curing method there was no largely practised means of con- 
servation and much of this surplus must have been destroyed. 
Yet if all the fresh fish had been consumed at home and none 
at all exported the daily ration per head of the population over 
5 years of age would only — been some two or three 
ounces ! 
The amount of fish available for human consimption 
during the years 1909-13 must, therefore, have been less than 
the amount stated by the Royal Society Committee. Perhaps 
it ought to be taken at no more than 500,000 metric tons, in- 
stead of 800,000 metric tons. 
We are prepared to find that the quantity of herring ataibeed 
by the Committee to be available for human consumption is 
also a very questionable estimate. This quantity (162,000 
metric tons in Appdx. Ia and 172,700 metric tons in Appdx. Ib) 
seems to have been computed as follows :— 
* 20th October, 1917. 
