MR. POWER (Waterford, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the fact that since the introduction of steam trawling upon 46 the south coast of Ireland the supply of trawl fish has greatly diminished, and the price of same largely increased and the number of fishermen employed in fishing has largely decreased; is he aware that the inspectors of fisheries have the power to make bye-laws prohibiting steam trawling in areas outside the three-mile limit; did those who signed the memorial recently addressed to the inspectors of fisheries from Dunmore East, county Waterford, ask the inspectors to exercise those powers; and, if so, could he state on what ground that application was refused.
MR. BRYCEA proposed extension of the area off the coasts of the counties of Cork, Waterford, and Wexford, in which steam trawling is at present prohibited, formed the subject of an exhaustive inquiry held by the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction at Dunmore East on May 3rd and 4th, 1906. The Department did not consider that the circumstances of the case were such as would warrant them in submitting for the approval of the Lord-Lieutenant in Council any bye-law increasing the area in which steam trawling is prohibited. The prohibited area already extends to places at a greater distance than three miles from the shore. In reply to a further Question, Mr. Bryce said there were differences of opinion as to whether trawling did diminish the supply of fish.