138 



All the above figures, according to the explanation given by the officials who 

 publish the statistics, refer to the fish as landed ; the prices are the " wholesale values 

 at the places of landing," by which I believe is meant the prices actually paid to the 

 auctioneers who sell the fish for the fishermen and smackowners. The classification 

 is made according to the way in which the fish are packed when brought ashore. 

 The best and the largest quantity of the soles and turbots are placed in boxes by 

 themselves not mixed with any other fish, while if there are not siifficient soles or 

 turbots in a catch to make it worth while to pack them separately they are put 

 together with other kinds of " best " or " prime " fish. Therefore the figures under 

 the heading " soles " do not represent the total quantity of soles landed. There are tons 

 of soles and turbot included under the heading of " prime fish not separated." Now, 

 if we look at the figures referring to soles only, we find that in the three years 1886, 

 1887, 1888, there was an annual decrease of 13,000 cwt., a very startling result. But 

 in 1889 there was an increase of nearly 2,000 over 1888. But this latter increase 

 is much more than balanced by the enormous decrease in the quantity of miscellaneous 

 prime fish in 1889, a decrease of 77,433 cwt. In no year was the decrease in 

 the quantity of separated soles balanced by an increase in the quantity of mis- 

 cellaneous prime fish ; on the contrary, there was a steady decrease in the latter 

 in 1887, 1888, and 1889. The figure of this item in 1886 must be kept apart, for 

 in five months of that year haddock were included under it at Billingsgate when 

 packed with prime fish, while since then haddock have been estimated separateh'. 

 This alteration also affects the totals of prime fish; but neglecting 1886 there was a 

 great annual decrease in the total quantity of prime fish landed. There is no doubt 

 therefore on the whole that since statistics have been kept, since the year 1886, there 

 has been a steady decrease in the quantity of soles landed on the coast of England 

 and Wales. I think it is very probable that the slight increase in the quantity of soles 

 landed separately in 1889 is due to the fact that in the earlier half of this year a large 

 number of North Sea trawling smacks left their own grounds and went to work off the 

 north coast of Cornwall, on a trawling ground which had previously been almost 

 entirely neglected, and on which soles were found in great abundance. This ground 

 was first tried by some Brixham trawlers in 1887. 



Another sure indication of the increasing scarcity of soles, is the steady rise in price. 

 The price of soles sold separately has risen 4s. to ISs. per cwt. every year. The 

 price of turbot has not increased so steadily, though there is indication of increasing 

 scarcity of this fish also. The price of mixed prime fish is somewhat irregular : that 

 of the year 1886 is of no value to our inquiry for the reason before mentioned, and 

 the prices in other years may and probably do A'ary with the proportion of soles in the 

 boxes. The average price of prime fish taken altogether has increased steadily. In 

 1889 it was 18s. M. per cwt. greater than in 1888. The Board of Trade tables give 

 the average price of soles per lb. for each year, and it is interesting to compare these 

 with the prices for the ten years 1856 to 1865. In the report of the Sea Fisheries 



