sea-fisheries laboratory. 141 



Required Survey of our Fishing Grounds, with 

 New Scheme of Work at Sea. 



By W. A. Herdman. 



In last year's Report, at p. 14, in an article on " Sea- 

 Fisheries Conferences and the need of a k Census ' of our 

 Seas," I pointed out that " what we stand most in need 

 of at present is full and accurate statistics in regard to 

 our fisheries, and much more detailed information than 

 we have as to the distribution round the coast both of 

 Fishes, in all stages of growth, and also of the lower 

 animals with which they are associated, and upon which 

 they feed.' 1 I then proceeded to propose a scheme of 

 investigation which I characterised as " the nearest 

 possible approximation to a census of our seas — beginning 

 with the territorial waters and those offshore grounds 

 that supply them and are definitely related to them." 

 The work would be partly of a statistical nature and 

 partly scientific observations and investigations, and 

 it seems clear that it is only by such methods that we 

 can hope to settle many important fishery questions. 



I do not think that I am under-estimating the magni- 

 tude, the difficulties and the probable imperfections of 

 such a scheme as I propose. I am aware that all we can 

 hope to attain is an approximation, but even a rough 

 approximation will be of use, and if carried out on flip 

 right lines it is an approximation which will approach 

 more and more nearly to the truth with each successive 

 year of work. 



The fishery statistics collected and published at 

 present by the Board of Trade are, I contend, inadequate. 

 They do not give us the information we require. The 

 system does not seem to be designed so as to realise and 



