SEA-ElSHERIES LABORATORY. 127 



backing up any recommendation in the report that State 

 aid should be given to laboratories for scientific fisheries 

 investigation. 



With that promise from the President of the Board of 

 Trade, and in view of the strong recommendations in the 

 report of the Ichthyological Committee, there can surely 

 be no doubt that the Board of Trade, either alone or 

 supported by all the fishery organisations of the country, 

 will without further delay urge upon Parliament the 

 necessity of taking immediate steps, and, if required, 

 legislation, in order to subsidise the necessary laboratories 

 under the direction of a Fisheries Council for England. 

 That is only one of a series of definite recommendations 

 made by the Ichthyological Committee with the object of 

 organising a comprehensive national scheme of fisheries 

 investigation, and in view of the attention which the 

 President has directed to the report of that Committee at 

 the Statutory meetings of the Sea-Fisheries Authorities, 

 it will be well to consider in some detail what these 

 recommendations are. 



As the Report shows, the Ichthyological Committee 

 considered it their duty to inquire very carefully into the 

 details of the (then) proposed international scheme for 

 the investigation of the North Sea, as given in the publi- 

 cations of the Christiania Conference of 1901. The 

 Christian ia programme, supplemented by the evidence of 

 witnesses and experts, was the only information then 

 available, and it is that programme which is discussed 

 and alluded to in various parts of the " Blue Book " issued 

 by the Ichthyological Committee. The examination of 

 important witnesses, now before the public in the pages 

 of the Blue Book, makes it evident that there is great 

 diversity of opinion amongst scientific experts (both 

 biological and hydrographical) in this country, as to: — 



