98 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



I have now drawn up or edited twenty- eight of these 

 Reports — since 1892 when, under the chairmanship of Mr. John 

 Fell, the Committee appointed me Honorary Director of the 

 scientific work and invited me to report annually upon the 

 sea-fisheries investigations carried on in the district. I trust 

 that these reports may be regarded by the Committee as having 

 done something towards making known the scientific conditions 

 of the fisheries under their charge, and as having made some 

 contribution to the knowledge of those fundamental problems 

 of life in the sea that must underlie all rational exploitation 

 and administration of a sea-fisheries district. 



The programme of re-construction of our scheme of Sea- 

 fisheries investigation which was foreshadowed in the last report 

 is slow in coming into full operation ; but still something has 

 been done during the past year. Scientific work at sea has 

 been resumed, the staff has been increased and plans have 

 been made for much further work. With the support and 

 co-operation of the Committee, the department of Oceano- 

 graphy in the University has been fully established, lectures 

 and practical work in the laboratory have commenced and 

 several students are now in training and will no doubt in due 

 course be available to fill fisheries posts at home or abroad. 

 It is clear that the need exists for such scientifically trained 

 men. There is evidence from the Government Departments, 

 from the Dominions and Colonies over-seas and from the more 

 enlightened and progressive branches of the industry itself 

 that more fully-trained workers are urgently required, and 

 that all progress in the future will depend upon the advance 

 side-by-side of Sea-fisheries Education and Investigation. 

 I dealt so fully with the details of what is desirable under these 

 two heads in my memorandum on Fisheries Reconstruction 

 and Fisheries Research last year that I need not repeat my 

 remarks nor elaborate the matter further, but would respect- 

 fully urge members of the Committee to refer again in this 



