118 BUSINESS MEN ON HAKE PliOBLEMS 



Mr. Morley did not mention the theory that the hake, after raid- 

 ing the Stornaway herrings, follow the Atlantic water round the 

 British Isles through the Pentland Firth, and so are caught 

 off the Skagerrak in August. His evidence was thus suggestive 

 of many questions which research workers might try to answer. 

 And he entered a strong plea for the institution of research 

 into the life-histories of hake, ' Southern Ling ', bream, and 

 other fishes of the south-west area. He was very strongly 

 supported by Mr. J. J. Neale, of Cardiff, and Mr. K. C. Ward, 

 of Fleetwood. 



Mr. J. J. NeMe on Hake Research 



Mr. Neale told the Committee that he and his sons were 

 prepared to give free quarters on their big trawlers to any 

 research workers who would go down to study the fishing 

 ' on the Morocco coast, or the Spanish coast, the Portuguese 

 coast, or down to the Bay of Biscay '. No scientists, he said, 

 had been out on commercial trawlers working these grounds, 

 which produced most of the hake and bream landed, and 

 a heavy proportionate catch of soles, turbot, and gurnard. 

 If they went, said Mr. Neale, they would understand that 

 a boat might shovel ten tons of small unmarketable fish over- 

 board for every five tons which she landed. The last time 

 the writer saw the late Mr. Neale, who was as keenly interested 

 in marine research as any one in the kingdom, he referred 

 bitterly to his behef that his suggestions had been ignored 

 for twelve years. He was convinced of the absolute necessity 

 for continuous investigations in these waters, by scientists on 

 board commercial vessels, to supplement those made on 

 research vessels proper. The latter, he said, clung ' fairly 

 closely to the south, and west of Iceland, and made compara- 

 tively few trips, mostly in summer'. It was 'urgently neces- 

 sary ', he thought, ' that investigations should be continuous 

 on the distant fishing grounds ', right through the year. 



He died this year without seeing any of these investigations 

 made — or, at any rate, reported ; for the only British investi- 

 gator who was deputed to watch the hake fisheries most 

 unfortunately had himself died before he could publish any 

 of his results. 



Mr. Bees, of Swansea, on Hake 

 ' Mushiness ' 0/ Hake 



Mr. H. E. Bees, of Swansea, who has made careful study of 

 the habits of hake, and whose notes will be useful to British 



