296 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
at Grimsby is due more to the advance made in beam- trawling than to 
anything else. Besides the fish landed at Grimsby, large quantities 
caught by trawlers hailing from that port go by water in steam carriers 
to London. 
As to the present status and importance of the British beam-trawl 
fishery, Mr. Ansell makes the following interesting statements : 
“The number of British deep-sea trawlers may be taken at 3,000 (not 
including steam cutters), Yarmouth leading with 700, Hull and Grimsby 
next, making together about half the number, the rest being scattered 
around our coasts. Such smacks as sail from Yarmouth, Hull, and 
Grimsby I class as the deep-sea trawler. Taking the average catch of 
each of these at 100 tons, brings the total weight to 300,000 tons, irre- 
spective of the inshore trawlers’ catches (as in the case of Hull and 
Grimsby, and also Messrs. Hewitt’s), and others less of coarse and more 
prime, we may take an estimate at £L0 to £12 per ton as the price it 
fetches; this will give us a total money value of fish caught by the deep- 
sea trawler of £3,000,000 at £10, or £3,600,000 at £12.” 
The Duke of Edinburgh, in a paper read at the conferences at the 
London International Fisheries Exhibition, entitled “ Sea Fisheries 
and Fishing Populations,” makes a more moderate and probably a more 
accurate estimate. He places the total production by this method in 
the British Isles at 215,157 tons, worth £2,531,000, equal to about 
$12,905,000. 
“If,” continues Ansell, “ we take capital employed in producing this 
at a total of £15,000,000 invested in floating and shore property, it is 
not overestimating it. We have ice-ships, ice-houses, steam -carriers, 
curing-houses, storing-houses, and many other things too numerous to 
mention. The number of hands to man these vessels, at five or six 
hands per ship (though some carry more), makes from 15,000 to 18,0005 
the latter is more like the number. If to this we add 2,000 who are 
out of berth by changing ships, we have then 20,000 hardy and ex- 
perienced hands employed in deep-sea trawling, and who have no 
other calling or occupation . Some of these have families, and calcu- 
lating two only in each ship to be married, with each a wife and four 
childreu, we have 30,000 more who are altogether dependent on the trawl 
for support. But as the trade can not be carried on without assistance 
of shore labor, it gives employment to more than as many more, such 
as packers, curers, laborers, watchmen, coopers, net-makers, riggers, 
etc., and a vast number of other trades too numerous to mention.” 
O. Fishing Grounds. 
The North Sea or German Ocean, from the Straits of Dover to 
Kinnaird’s Head, on the Scottish coast, and the Skager Rack, on the 
continental side, is the most favorable field for the prosecution of the 
beam- trawl fishery. Within the area mentioned the water is generally 
shallow, varying from 5 to a little upwards of 50 fathoms, and may be 
