NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 



11 



been entirely the work of J\[r. Clark, who has continued to follow the 

 method arrau<i;ed between himself and Mr. Holt. As far as I am able 

 to judge, the results are very reliable. 



Plaice. — During the seven months covered by the figures, no Iceland 

 fish have been landed, and I understand that it is uncertain whether 

 any vessels will visit the Iceland grounds this summer. 



1894. 



1895. 



In March, 13 boxes of the small were from the Humber; in April, 25; 

 the rest being from the east side of the North Sea. In April, 200 of 

 the boxes from the eastern grounds were landed by German steam 

 trawlers, and 16 boxes by cargo steamer, leaving only 442 boxes landed 

 by English trawlers. If these figures are compared with those of the 

 corresponding months in 1893-94, as given on p. 170, vol. iii. of this 

 Journal, it will be seen that there is a considerable falling off in the 

 quantity of small plaice landed, and an increase in the quantity of 

 large. Except October, the total of large plaice for every month is 

 larger, and that of small plaice is smaller for every month, without 

 exception. The totals of the seven months taken together are : 



In 1893-94, 51,654 boxes of large, 10,042 small. 

 In 1894-95, 79,046 „ „ „ 2,224 „ 



I am unable to give a reason for this. In the earlier period there 

 was only one month of the seven, namely, April, in which any of the 

 vessels were fishing at Iceland, but there may have been diversion of 

 fishing power to other regions. Whether the increased supply of large 

 plaice is due to greater abundance of fish, better weather, or more 

 vsseels, is entirely beyond my knowledge. In the statistics of the 

 earlier period, however, there were eighteen days omitted, and this alone 

 may be sufiicient to account for the dillerence in the figures of large 

 plaice, while it makes all the more striking the dillerence in the 

 quantity of small. An apparent scarcity of small plaice on the eastern 

 grounds will be mentioned below. 



Haddock — The numbers of boxes of small haddock landed monthly 

 are as follows : 



