350 Supply of Fish in Great Britain. 
but in lowering the average condition of those who remain 
behind. 
Though in many parts of Ireland the appearance of the 
fishermen, and of their boats and gear, indicated great de- 
pression and want of prosperity of the trade; in others 
there are not wanting signs of improvement and of greater 
enterprise and activity. The herring fishery of Howth, as 
already mentioned, has within the last six or seven years 
grown into a very important fishery, and a considerable 
number of Irish boats have been fitted out for it, and have 
done as well as the Cornish and Scotch boats that join in 
the fishery. The trawlers from Dublin have now for some 
years been doing well, and have brought in a large supply 
of the better class of fish to the markets. At Dingle, also, 
trawling has been introduced with success, and the fisher- 
men are doing well. At Arklow the oyster banks have 
been extensively worked within the last few years. 
The general supply of fish from the Irish coast must 
necessarily have considerably fallen off, owing to the great 
reduction of men and boats engaged in fishing. But if 
double the number of men made a living by fishing wholly 
or in part twenty years ago, it is not to be supposed that 
over-fishing within the last few years can have contributed 
to this result. We cannot doubt that with greater enter- 
prise, skill, and the application of capital, a greatly in- 
creased supply of fish might be produced from the seas 
round Ireland. Whether, however, the “mine of wealth” 
which has so often been referred to by witnesses before us, 
as existing in an undeveloped state off the west and south 
coasts is a reality or a myth, can be decided only by expe- 
rience. Looking to the nature of the coast, the frequent 
severity of the weather, the great depth of water, and the 
total want of shelter outside a few bays and inlets and the 
opposition of the local fishermen to the introduction of im- 
proved methods of fishing, we are inclined to think that 
such anticipations are not likely soon to be realised. 
The great importance of fish as an article of food may 
be clearly shown by a comparison to the total supply of 
fish and beef to London in the course of a single year. 
Neither in the case of fish nor of beef is it possible to give 
accurate statistics. But it has been roughly estimated 
that London consumes 300,000 fat cattle annually, which 
at an average weight of six cwt. each, would amount to 
90,000 tons of beef. At this moment there are betweeu 
800 and 900 trawl vessels engaged in supplying the Lon-_ 
