NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 127 



plaice, reserve all the largest for putting at the tops of the boxes, 

 and for this reason the appearance of the small plaice from the eastern 

 side is quite different from that of the plaice from the banks off the 

 Norfolk coast, the largest visible fish in the former case seldom exceed- 

 ing 16 in., in the other reaching 22 in. or more. 



In the catches landed from the Norfolk coast, latchets and weevers 

 are not seen, while some haddocks and lemon soles are usually present ; 

 but the number of both these kinds is very small, one box of haddocks 

 and half a box of lemon soles being the usual limit. Plaice from these 

 grounds are less plentiful than from the eastern. A voyage from 

 Smith's Knoll and Leman Shoal comprised o boxes plaice ; 2 boxes 

 lemon soles ; 1 box soles ; 1 box turbot and brill ; 1 box dabs ; 3 

 boxes whiting. 



Another voyage from the Leman Shoal was 12 1 boxes plaice; 3 

 boxes dabs ; 1 box soles ; 2| boxes lemon soles ; 1 box turbot and brill ; 

 1| boxes codling; 1| boxes of haddock; | box whiting; 3 boxes rays 

 or roker. 



A voyage, stated to be caught off the Winterton Shoal, landed on 

 October 9th, contained 8 boxes rather large plaice ; 1 box roker and 

 whiting ; 1 box dabs ; 1 box soles ; | box turbot and brill ; 1 box cod^ 

 and haddock ; 3 boxes whiting. The Winterton Shoal is about 15 miles 

 from the coast to the north of Yarmouth, the depth where these fish 

 were caught 16 to 19 fathoms. 



A voyage from the " deep water," 20 miles off Lowestoft, consisted 

 of 10 boxes small plaice; 1| boxes soles; | box lemon soles; 4 boxes 

 cod, 2 boxes whiting ; 4 conger. 



On Wednesday, October 9th, I saw a boat landing a catch with 

 scarcely any plaice, only a dozen small specimens altogether. The 

 skipper said he went out on the previous Saturday, and had been 

 fishing in the "deep water." He had 1| boxes of soles, ^ box of slips 

 or small soles, 1| boxes of rays, | box of lemon soles, a few soles, a few 

 brill, 1 box of whiting, and 1 box of whiting and codling. The number 

 of small soles was remarkable, many were under 10 in., and some 

 no more than 7 in. in length. The box of soles was sold for £9 15s., 

 the slips for 25s. 



It is well known that level ground, less than 20 fathoms deep, 

 stretches in a W.N.W. direction from the Dutch coast to the Swarte 

 Bank. I cannot say how far the smaller race of plaice, which I 

 have shown to exist at the Brown liidges, extends, but a voyage lauded 

 on October 8th, caught 25 miles east of the Swarte Bank, was apparently 

 similar to one from the Brown Eidges. It included 40 boxes of small 

 plaice, 1 box of latchets, | box of soles, 1 box of turbot and brill, 

 1 box of cod, 3 boxes of dabs. There were no haddock or lemon soles. 



