CONFEEENCES WITH FISHERMEN. 
No arrangements were made tins year for the holding of formal 
conferences, hut opportunities presented themselves for interviewing 
the fishermen at Berwick, Holy Island, Sea Houses, Beadnell and 
Craster. At Berwick, a table was presented by Mr. Buglass detail- 
ing for eight months of the year the catches of cod and haddock at 
Berwick and Spital, and it is interesting when compared with the 
similar tables published in former years. 
Cod. Haddock. 
Cwts. 
Value. 
Cwts. 
Value. 
January ... 
... 1,252 
... £857 
189 
... £202 
February... 
665 
546 
107 
119 
March 
392 
278 
118 
141 
April 
1.53 
87 
96 
116 
May 
229 
166 
198 
138 
June 
248 
129 
110 
151 
July 
70 
34 
41 
32 
August . . . 
59 
35 
47 
43 
Total 
... 3,068 
£2,132 
906 
£942 
It is clear from such a comparison that cod fishing was not so 
successful this year, but at the same time the figures are far above 
those of 1901. The haddock fishing was better this year, but com- 
pared with the immediately preceding years, the record interferes 
but little with the steady decrease which has characterised this 
biauch of the industry. The crab fishing in the northern district 
shows this year a decrease compared with last year, but that year 
was an especially successful one. At Craster we were informed that 
crabs started casting this season fully three weeks earlier than 
usual. The lobster fishing has all over the district been very 
successful this season. The herring fishing has only been very 
moderate, and compared with the record season of last year would be 
called by the men poor. The weather, however, often prevented 
the boats from going to sea. 
The fishermen find it a matter of great difficulty to get bait. 
Some of them have managed to get a supply from Blyth. Budle 
Bay has evidently been given up by those who tried to work it as a 
mussel farm, but it appears from some enquiries which have been 
addressed to us that the local fishermen are in the mind to see 
what they could do in this way for themselves. It is a project 
which it is to be hoped the proprietor will encourage for if the 
fishermen join hands in a matter which so closely affects them as 
this, and work the beds with a view to their development, we feel sure 
