524 APPENDIX I. 



11 inches landed by the Brixham smacks during the past year. He 

 reports the total number of " large " plaice landed during the year as 

 about 180,000. "Of this number more than half were captured during 

 February, March, and April, when the plaice were spawning in the 

 deep water, or returning to the inshore grounds after having spawned. 

 The months when the larger fish are least abundant offshore are 

 September, October, and November. It is worthy of remark that the 

 numbers for the months rise from 360 in November to 49,860 in April, 

 and descend again to 450 in October in an almost uniform manner." 



"The number of small fish landed for the year is a little over 143,000. 

 The total number of plaice, large and small, is about 323,000, and of 

 these the small plaice amount to 44 per cent." 



Dr. Kyle's comments on these figures may be here given. He says : 

 "The most remarkable fact which this table reveals is the large number 

 of small plaice which are captured in the deep water, not only in one 

 month or season, but throughout the year. The largest number — that 

 recorded in April — is 19,800, but those for the other months vary 

 between 4,000 and 10,000." 



It should be added that the fishing grounds from which these fish 

 are derived lie almost entirely within the area Start Point to Portland, 

 and that the landings are almost confined to those of the small trawlers 

 (Mumble Bees), which are the chief fishing-boats on the grounds in 

 question. 



Experiments on Migration. 



In order to trace the seasonal migrations of the plaice to and from 

 the closed waters of the bays. Dr. Kyle marked nearly 500 fish with 

 numbered labels of brass or bone, and liberated these partly in the 

 inshore waters of each of the bays in October and November, 1901, 

 and partly outside Torbay and Start Bay in April and May of the 

 following year. A reward was offered and paid for every marked fish 

 returned, and the greatest care was taken to obtain correct returns of 

 the places where the fish were recaptured. The Association is again 

 very greatly indebted to Messrs. Sanders for the efficient and friendly 

 assistance which they rendered to Dr. Kyle in this respect. Thanks to 

 their arrangements and to the friendly co-operation of the fishermen, 

 more than 25 per cent, of the fish have been returned with reliable 

 particulars of capture. 



The results of the experiments show in a convincing manner that 

 in November and December the great majority of the mature fish leave 

 Start Bay for the deeper offshore waters in Lyme Bay, the larger fish 

 taking a more or less direct course to the eastward, and the smaller 

 ones a less direct course along the shallower gradients to the north- 



