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Part III — Tenth Annual Report 
SECTION C— CONTEMPORARY WORK. 
AN ACCOUNT OF CONTEMPORARY SCIENTIFIC FISHERY 
WORK AND FISHERIES IN THIS AND OTHER COUN- 
TRIES. By Dr T. Wemyss Fulton, F.R.S.E., Secretary for 
Scientific Investigations. 
In the following pages I have brought together and summarised the 
information available as to the present condition of the sea fisheries in the 
more important countries which possess sea fisheries and fishery depart- 
ments, and the various means being employed for their conservation and 
improvement. This has been possible only by the generous co-operation 
of those engaged in fishery work in this country and abroad. 
The chief points brought out in this comparative study of contemporary 
fisheries are : — 
1. A general complaint of the depopulation of territorial and inshore 
waters from over-fishing. This complaint is made in all the 
States whose territories border the North Sea, namely, Nor- 
way, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, and Eng- 
land, as well as in Scotland. Similar complaints are made on 
the Mediterranean coast of France, in Spain, Italy, and in 
America and elsewhere. 
The measures proposed or adopted to meet this diminution are (1) the 
total or partial prohibition of certain modes of fishing deemed 
injurious ; (2) the enforcement of close times ; (3) prohibition 
of the capture, landing, or sale of immature fish ; (4) protection 
of spawning grounds ; (5) the destruction of the enemies of the 
food fishes, as seals, porpoises, &c, in certain continental 
fisheries : (6) the establishment of hatcheries on the coast for 
sea fish and edible shell fish. 
Examples of these may be found below. Regulations regarding im- 
mature fish exist in Denmark, France, and Italy ; similar regu- 
lations are proposed in Belgium and Holland. Sea fish 
hatcheries exist in the United States, Newfoundland, Canada, 
Norway, and Scotland, and it is proposed to establish them in 
Belgium and France. In Newfoundland last season 551,469,000 
young lobsters and 39,650,000 young cod were hatched and 
planted on the fishing grounds ; this season 207,000,000 young 
cod were hatched in Norway and planted in the inshore waters. 
2. The extension and organisation of scientific investigations in connec- 
tion with fisheries. During last year vessels have been engaged 
in making explorations of the fishing grounds of various coun- 
tries. The expeditions on similar work off the west coast of 
Ireland have been completed, and the Belgian authorities propose 
to equip their fishery cruiser in order to undertake work like 
that done by the ' Garland.' A number of marine laboratories 
have been established. There is one in Italy, one in Austria- 
