84 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



new knowledge and find out things in the mind of the investi- 

 gator, and it ought not to matter to him whether the results 

 he is trying to obtain are useful or not — the result is the thing. 

 One can easily " organise " scientific investigation to such an 

 extent that this motive falls into the background — fortunately, 

 as things are, such a degree of " scientific organisation " is not 

 easily attainable ! The problems upon which fishery investi- 

 gators were engaged in 1914, then, easily and naturally slipped 

 back again into prominence — and, of course, they still press 

 for solution, and have to be taken up some time or other in the 

 future. 



What was really wanted in 1920 (and even at the end of 

 1918) was the point of view of the fishing industry rather than 

 that of the administrators. Obviously it was the production 

 of food commodities rather than the elaboration of legislative 

 restrictions that the circumstances of the time indicated. The 

 attitude of the fishing industry was well known, though the 

 great commercial interests were unrepresented at the Inter- 

 national Conference. It is remarkable that a much broader 

 and more " statesmanlike " (using the word in its older and 

 more creditable sense) view was taken by the industry than by 

 the Statutory Fishery Authorities. I attended most of the 

 meetings held by the Keconstruction Committees of the 

 National Sea-Fisheries Protection Association in 1919 and 1920, 

 and, even then, the present situation and its difficulties were 

 (in great measure, at least) anticipated.* A coalescence of the 

 activities of the various National and Departmental Statutory 

 Authorities concerned with fisheries was strongly urged : it 

 was hoped that the Association would be able to persuade the 

 Government that fishery, in the international sense, was a 

 proper subject for arrangement at the Peace Conference ; 

 codification of fishery law was urged ; internationalisation of 



* For instances, in the " Memorandum " submitted to Mr. Prothero in 

 1918, and in the schemes of reconstruction prepared subsequently by the 

 industry and its advisers. 



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