17 
This regrettable and startlingly steady decrease has been 
correlated with an increase in the crab and lobster fishing, and with 
a diminution in the number of boats and men employed in white 
fishing due to other causes — the main one, however, being that the 
fishermen find employment during the winter at quarries, mines, 
buildings and shipyards. The reason they give is that the crab 
fishing during the latter end of the year is so poor as regards quality 
of the catch and the line fishing so unproductive that they can 
obtain a better livelihood at such work as above stated. 
All this goes to show that if the in-shore waters offer an improve- 
ment in fiat fishes, and principally in dabs since steam trawling was 
prohibited, that haddocks, whitings, codlings and the like are not 
nearly so plentiful, neither at the times when nor the places where 
they used to be caught. It is to bo regretted that we can only infer 
this', and that the information is lacking which would enable us to 
make the statement authoritatively. 
At North Shields, on the other hand, it is clear from the follow- 
ing table (Table V.), which 1 owe to the Quaymaster, Mr. T. 
McKenzie, that there has been a steady increase in the landings of 
white fish. How far this has been due to an increase in the number 
of steam trawlers and liners and improvement m their efficiency 1 
have not been able to discover. But, as I pointed out last year, Mr. 
Garstang, Naturalist at the Plymouth Laboratory, stated, as a result 
of his analysis, that trawling steamers are not catching the quantity 
which they ought to catch if the conditions of the sea as regards fish 
were remaining steady. We must naturally make allowance for the 
fact that an increase in the number of trawlers would tend to 
decrease the catch of each. 
TABLE V. 
The weight and value of White Fish and Herrings, and the 
numbers of Crabs landfed at North Shields, each year since 1880. 
YEAR. 
Approximate 
Weight of 
White Fish. 
Tons. 
Approximate 
Value of 
White Fish. 
£ 
Approximate 
" eight of 
Herrings. 
Tons. 
Approximate 
Value of 
Herrings. 
£ 
Approximate 
Number of 
Crabs. 
1889 
4,484 
61,883 
7,558 
51,217 
12,800 
1890 
5,763 
79,408 
6,523 
53,155 
12,320 
1891 
6,458 
94,501 
4,988 
54,410 
31,420 
1892 
7,612 
11-2,3-20 
9,356 
37,642 
23,280 
1893 
8.548 
132,519 
8,436 
51,697 
14,080 
1894 
8,688 
130.837 
5,845 
35,589 
9.800 
1895 
9.196 
135,183 
5,041 
36,499 
33,920 
1896 
7,511 
119,952 
5,479 
32.127 
53,780 
1897 
8,193 
135,550 
3,902 
37,820 
83,510 
1898 
9.072 
138,710 
3,245 
20,826 
116.780 
1899 
•1900 
T2 S 
r— * 
160.515 
1 85,935 
2,574 
24,265 
84.080 
From Fishery Officer's Report. 
