of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
331 
dreds of tons of undersized plaice appear to have been caught and 
destroyed off the Dutch, German, and Danish coasts. Steam is being 
introduced into the great cod-fisheries carried on from East Coast ports, 
and cod-fishing by sailing vessels will probably decline at Grimsby, which 
is the great centre of this trade. As yet there are only 17 steam 
1 codmen ' as against 100 sailers. The quantity of wet-fish landed was 
5,966,076 cwts., compared with 6,100,G30 cwts. in 1890 and 6,466,564 
cwts. in 1889. The values in these three years respectively were 
£4,491,018, £4,368,552, and £3,862,389 in 1889. The number of 
registered boats was 8063, of which 3873 were first-class, having each 
a tonnage of 15 tons or over. Besides the registered boats, there are 
a large number of open boats. The number of men and boys constantly 
employed is estimated at 33,044. 
It is stated that during the last few years there has been a remarkable 
change in the character of the large vessels engaged in the fisheries, 
especially on the East Coast. Iron is taking the place of wood, and 
sails are giving way to steam. At the same time, several ports which, 
until recently, were scarcely considered as fishing stations, now send fleets 
of steam-trawlers into the North Sea. Mr Malan shows in a table that 
while in 1882 only 5 fishing vessels were built of iron as compared with 
67 of wood, at the two ports of Hull and Grimsby, in the year 1891 
there were 112 built of iron and only 15 of wood. It appears that the 
fish-supply to London has been falling in recent years ; in 1887 the 
quantity was 170,463 tons; in 1«88, 180,997 tons; in 1889, 173,545 
tons; in 1890, 165,852 tons; and in 1891, 164,557 tons. Mr C. E. 
Fryer deals chiefly with the mussel and oyster fisheries ; and there are a 
number of appendices and special reports. The Thirty-First Annual 
Reports of the Inspectors on the Salmon and Fresh-water Fisheries during 
1891 was also recently issued.* 
The fourth edition of a pamphlet ' On Stocking Rivers, Lakes, Ponds, 
1 and Reservoirs with Salmonidae,' by Sir James Maitland, Bart., was 
recently published.^ It contains chapters of great interest and value on 
the production, incubation, cost, &c, of ova; on fry, yearlings, two-year- 
olds, redds, ponds, &c. Full details are given in all the chapters on the 
various matters with which they deal ; and the information will be of 
great service to the large and increasing number who engage in fish 
culture. 
2. Ireland. 
In last year's Report (p. 394), it was stated that a survey of the fishing 
grounds on the West Coast of Ireland had been undertaken conjointly by 
the Government and the Royal Dublin Society ; \ and the Report of the 
Rev. W. Spotswood Green, Inspector of Irish Fisheries, who was the 
Director of tbe survey on the first year's expedition, was referred to. 
Since then a very full report by Mr Green, has been issued by the Royal 
Dublin Society, and by the Inspectors of Irish Fisheries in their Annual 
Report, dealing with both expeditions, and especially that of 1891. The 
sea fisheries on the West Coast of Ireland, like those on the West Coast 
of Scotland, have frequently formed the subject of inquiry, and have led 
to a variety of proposals for their advancement. Mr Green states that 
the old records contain data for a complete history of the question, but 
* Salmon and Fresh-water Fisheries {England and Wales), Thirty -First Aunual 
Reports of the Inspectors of Fisheries (England ami Wales) for 1891, London, 1892. 
t J. R. Guy, Secretary, Howietoun Fishery,. Stirling, 1892. 
X Report of the Council of the Royal Dublin Society for 1891, Dublin, 1892, p. 23, 
et seq. 
