118 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



years Las, on the whole, tended to show that the criticisms 

 put forward in the Report of the Ichthyological Research 

 Committee were well founded, and served to indicate the 

 direction in which the International Scheme of work has 

 required to be modified. Under these circumstances, we 

 turn now with the more confidence to the constructive 

 portion of that Committee's Report in order to enquire 

 how far the recommendations then made will meet the 

 needs of the situation at the present juncture. The 

 Committee recommended a National Scheme of fisheries 

 research and organisation, into the constituent elements of 

 which they entered in considerable detail. This scheme 

 provides what has long been felt and often expressed as a 

 great need in England, viz., a Central Fisheries Board, 

 having at its command laboratories, vessels and scientific 

 men on all the coasts, and it also endeavours to ensure the 

 sympathy and utilise the energies of the District 

 Committees, b}^ giving them adequate representation on 

 the Central Body and by delegating the work on the 

 several coasts to the local investigators. 



The points dealt with in the Report are (1) Statistics, 

 (2) Expert Staff, (3) Laboratories, (4) Vessels, (5) Central 

 Authority, and (6) Co-operation with Scotland and 

 Ireland ; and the recommendations under these heads 

 may be briefly summarised, with comments, as follows : — 



(1) Statistics. — The Committee insist upon the 

 necessity for much fuller and more accurate statistics as 

 to the results of the commercial fisheries than are now 

 supplied. Returns must be obtained from the masters of 

 fishing vessels, and it is very desirable that full returns of 

 all fish caught, giving the localities and other particulars, 

 should be made compulsory. 



The official system of collection of fisheries statistics 

 lias been improved at many ports since 1902, but further 



