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were therefore arranged in the form of conferences. The bill calling 
the meeting in each ease contained the following announcement : — • 
It is proposed to consider such of the following questions as may be 
interesting to the fishermen : — 
1. The number of men and boats regularly or occasionally employed ; the 
kinds of fishing and the periods devoted to each at the present time, 
compared with past years. 
2. Whether the take of different kinds of fish has increased or decreased, 
viz : crabs, lobsters, turbot, brill, sole, plaice, dab, haddock, whiting, 
cod, ling, herring, salmon. 
;3. Whether the fishing grounds have changed, and if so for what reason. 
4. Where the bait commonly used is procured, and whether local beds 
could be established and preserved. 
5. Marketing facilities. 
li. The gear in common use and methods of preserving it. 
The first meeting was arranged to be held in North Sunderland 
on 8th September, but unfortunately for me, though very 
fortunately for the fishermen, that date saw one of the best catches 
of herrings of the season. Only two fishermen, the chairman 
(Col. Marshall), Mr. Ewing, and Mr. King attended, and it was 
agreed to postpone the meeting. I took the opportunity, however, 
to interview the fishermen 1 met, and the information I obtained 
will be embodied in the report of the subsequent meeting. 
Holy Island. 
On the 9tli of September the first of two meetings was held in 
Holy Island — the Vicar in the chair. Here the success of the 
meeting was somewhat interfered with by the herring fishing, but 
there was an attendance of 18 at this meeting and of 30 on the 
11th at the second meeting, when the schoolmaster was in the 
chair. 
The men complained principally that the line fishing has been 
so seriously reduced by the trawlers that it is now not worth 
prosecuting, that the fishermen in consequence are being compelled 
to go more and more in for crab and lobster fishing, with the result 
that this latter fishing is suffering in turn. Before the days 
of trawling there was a natural rest given to all kinds of fishing. 
'I’lie herring fishing was prosecuted from July until the beginning 
of October. The line fishing naturally followed from October to 
February and pot fishing filled in the time from February until the 
beginning again of the herring season. The change which has 
been taking place is that more and more have given up the line 
fishing, and the crab fishing, instead of being prosecuted for 
