§ MR. E. W. BECKETT (York, N.R., Whitby)asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade, Whether any steps have been taken to carry out the following recommendations of the Royal Commission on Trawling, 1885:—That a central authority be created to supervise and control the fisheries of Great Britain, if not of the United Kingdom, and that a sum of money be annually granted for the purpose of conducting scientific experiments and for collecting fishery statistics; that, in the meantime, powers be given to the Scotch Fishery Board similar to those of the Irish Board, enabling them to make bye-laws for the regulation or suspension of beam trawling, or of any other mode of fishing, within territorial waters; that a similar authority, with similar powers, be created for England, and that, in the meantime, those powers be conferred on the Secretary of State or President of the Board of Trade; whether he is aware of the vast amount of damage steam trawling continues to inflict on in-shore fishermen; and, whether he will exercise or apply for powers to procure its regulation or suspension?
§ THE SECRETARY (Baron HENRY DE WORMS) (Liverpool, East Toxteth)The following steps have been taken to carry out the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Trawling. A Fisheries Department for England has recently been created at the Board of Trade to act as a central authority in certain matters relating to the fisheries. A sum of £500 per annum has been taken for the collection of fishery statistics, and a similar amount is to be allowed annually, subject to certain conditions, to the Marine Biological Association for the purpose of conducting scientific experiments at the laboratory now in course of erection at Plymouth. Powers have been given to the Fishery Board for Scotland by the Sea Fisheries (Scotland) Amendment Act, 1885, to make bye-laws for the regulation or suspension of beam trawling, or any method of fishing for sea-fish within territorial waters in any part of the sea adjoining Scotland. The question of applying for similar powers for England is receiving consideration in connection with certain representations which have been made to the Board of Trade as to the damage inflicted on in-shore fishermen by steam trawling.