24 TEANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



hand or push nets kill great numbers of young shrimps in 

 the shallows; and there certainly seems abundant evidence 

 that a great destruction of immature flat fish (soles and 

 flukes) is caused by the shrimpers generally. It is worth 

 consideration and experiment whether it would be possible 

 to construct in the tail end of the net some form of metal 

 sieve with narrow elongated meshes of such a size and 

 form as would allow small soles and flukes to w^riggle 

 through while retaining at least the larger shrimps. This 

 would be in constant action while the net was being 

 worked, and would take the place of the apparently in- 

 adequate operation of sifting, which is performed in the 

 boat after the net has been emptied and which is probably 

 too late to save the lives of many of the young fishes. Mr. 

 E. A. Dawson has just informed me that a few years ago 

 he experimented with a shank trawl which had the lower 

 edge of the net fixed to a bar set a little w^ay off the 

 ground so that only the shrimps, which spring well up- 

 wards when disturbed, were captured and most of the 

 young fishes were passed over. Mr. Dawson intends to 

 have another net of this kind made, and to give it a fair 

 trial during the fishery investigations he is now carrying 

 on. 



If, as seems likely, it will be soon found necessary in 

 the interests of the young flat fish to restrict somewhat the 

 operations of the shrimpers in space or time, or in both, 

 a compensating addition to the supply of shrimps might, 

 I think, be obtained by artificial cultivation. Some parts 

 of our sandy estuaries might be enclosed as shrimp 

 preserves to be stocked, supplied with food, and carefully 

 attended to. The shrimps breed practically all the year 

 round, are hardy and prolific, and if supplied with 

 plenty of food and protected from their enemies would 

 probably increase greatly in numbers in a very short time. 



