APPENDIX I. 525 



eastward, their general destination being towards the "Biscuit Dust" 

 ground in the first case, and the so-called " Spion Kop " ground in the 

 second. 



From Teignmouth Bay the winter migration of the fish above 8 

 inches was also directed towards the northern of these areas, i.e. off 

 Beer Head in about 20 fathoms ; but the fish below 8 inches in length 

 were found to remain for the most part in the bays until the following 

 summer. 



In March and April the Start Bay fish were found to be returning 

 towards the bay from the distant grounds, where they had spawned, 

 and were recovered within the limits in considerable numbers from 

 July to October. They were recruited on their return journey by a 

 majority of the fish liberated off the northern end of Torbay in May, 

 which also tended to set into Start Bay during the autumn months. 



As Dr. Kyle points out, these experiments confirm the view that 

 Start Bay is essentially a summer and autumn " feeding ground " for 

 the large plaice. It is neither a nursery for the small fish nor a 

 spawning ground for the large ones, since the latter almost entirely 

 desert the bay in winter on the approach of spawning time, and do not 

 return until the spawning is over. 



The Protection afforded by Closure of the Bays. 



From the three classes of evidence briefly summarised above, it is 

 clear that the closure of Start Bay to trawlers cannot materially 

 protect the small fish (since the latter are present there in inappreciable 

 numbers), nor can it furnish a sanctuary for the spawning fish, since 

 the latter spawn mostly offshore. Its closure is therefore ineffective as 

 a remedial measure, and merely delays the capture of the large fish 

 a month or two longer than would otherwise be the case. 



The closure of Torbay and Teignmouth Bay appears, on the other 

 hand, to be advantageous so far as trawling is concerned, since these 

 bays, especially the latter, contain the chief nurseries of small fish 

 known within the entire area from Start Point to Portland, and the 

 closure is not rendered ineffective by any natural tendency of the fish 

 to emigrate in their earliest stages of growth. The extent, however, to 

 which the prosecution of seine-fishing limits the efficiency of closure 

 has not been further investigated. 



Walter Garstang, 



Naturalist in Cliargc of Fishery Investigations. 

 Plymouth, July 1th, 1903. 



