of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



179 



investigated showed considerable discrepancies when compared with the 

 returns obtained from the fishermen, or the railway and steamboat 

 agencies by which the fish were sent off". It was also discovered that 

 considerable quantities of fish are landed in certain places without any 

 provision being made to have a record made of them. The investigation 

 further revealed the fact that the statistics of the Scottish fisheries, as at 

 present tabulated, are imperfect and incomplete, in comparison with those 

 now published by many other countries. 



It was consequently felt to be of great importance that the whole 

 statistical scheme in connection with the Scottish sea fisheries should be 

 made the subject of careful inquiry. The Board therefore empowered 

 the Scientific Committee to obtain the services of an expert to make an 

 exhaustive examination of the fishery statistics of this and other countries, 

 and Dr Alfred Daniell was engaged to undertake the task. 



Dr Daniell, after carefully studying the Scottish statistics as at present 

 collected and tabulated, and the statistics published by Continental 

 countries and on the American Continent, drew up an elaborate report, of 

 which the following is a very brief abstract in which it is not possible to 

 represent the detail with which the subject is treated. 



Dr Daniell discusses the functions of the various Boards or Commis- 

 sions in different countries, and shows that they may be chiefly advisory 

 and promotive, or regulative and protective, or both, as in the case of the 

 Scottish Board. Norway appears to be taking very energetic measures to 

 make the organisation of its fisheries as complete as possible. 



The statistics of the Scottish Board divide themselves into three classes, 

 (1) Commercial and Economic, (2) Administrative, and (3) Scientific. 

 After pointing out that while the first should be as nearly as possible 

 uniform for long periods so far as is consistent with complete representa- 

 tion of the data, and that the second and third classes may without detri- 

 ment undergo more frequent changes, the author considers each group in 

 detail. The economic statistics of some countries, such as the United States 

 and Canada, are so tabulated as to furnish ready comparison with those of all 

 other countries, indicating the amount of trade in each variety of produce. 

 The Scottish tables lay overwhelming stress on the trade in cured herrings 

 with the Continent (and even these are incomplete and require modifica- 

 tion), and no details are given of the trade with other countries, which in 

 former years took large quantities of Scottish fish. Dr Daniell discusses 

 seriatim the different tables published, and shows that while some of the 

 data are antiquated survivals from the times of Acts of Parliament now 

 obsolete, most of the tables call for amendment or remodelling. The 

 tables dealing with the export trade require modification, especially those 

 relating to branded herrings and smoked herrings. Tables I., II. and 

 III. ought to be combined to form one table, as might also be the first three 

 tables in Appendix B dealing with cod and ling. Appendix C should b9 

 expanded to embrace separately the various kinds of fish and shell-fish 

 landed. But it is not emendation on the existing lines that is required 

 to make the Fishery Statistics of Scotland satisfy modern requirements 

 so much as a reorganisation of them, and it is to this that Dr Daniell 

 devotes the larger part of his report. 



The fishery industry should be treated as a whole — special attention 

 being paid to the more important departments. The condition of the 

 industry should be fully represented as to appliances, capital invested in 

 various forms, the success of the fishery operations, the disposal of the 

 catch, and the economic conditions of the various workers. The arrange- 

 ment of the material should present the subject in a certain historical 

 order, so that the complicated story narrated in successive tables may 



